NANCY  LEE'S 

LOOKOUT 


MARGARET  WARDE 


.OF  CAL1*.  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 


HOW    THEY    HAD    CHATTERED 


NANCY  LEE'S 
LOOKOUT 


Author  of 
THE  "BETTY  WALES'  BOOKS" 

NANCY  LEE 
NANCY  LEE'S  SPRING  TERM 


Illustrated  by 

P EMBERTON   GlNTHBR 


THE  PENN  PUBLISHING 
COMPANY,  PHILADELPHIA 

MCMXV 


COPYBIGHT 
1915  BY 
THEPENN 
PUBLISHING 
COMPANY 


Nancy  Lee's  Lookout 


Introduction 

NANCY  LEE  was  at  Fair  Oaks  School  when  her 
readers  made  her  acquaintance  in  her  first  story, 
"  Nancy  Lee."  It  was  there  that  she  met  the 
Terrible  Twins:  tall,  awkward  Jane  and  pretty 
little  Christina.  The  three  friends  called  them- 
selves the  Triangle,  and  in  the  spring  term  they 
formed  the  mysterious  order  of  W.  W.'s. 

But  "  Nancy  Lee's  Spring  Term  "  at  Fair  Oaks 
School  is  a  story  in  itself.  For  it  was  then  that 
Nancy  had  her  great  adventure  with  Timmy  Lee 
Marshall  Raftery,  that  adorable  infant  whose 
arrival  at  Fair  Oaks  ushered  in  an  era  of  unprec- 
edented excitement  and  interest.  When  Timmy 
had  to  be  taken  home,  Nancy  was  a  proud  mem- 
ber of  his  escort-party,  and  she  had  just  returned 
from  that  mission  when  the  story  of  her  summer 
at  Halcyon  Bay  opens. 

MARGARET  WARDE. 


Contents 

I.     SUMMER  PLANS 9 

II.  EVERYTHING'S  SPOILED  !       .                 .        -36 

III.  "  You  BE  ON  THE  LOOKOUT  !"     .        .        .  54 

IV.  NANCY'S  LOOKOUT       .        .        .        •        •  73 
V.     MORE  NEW  FRIENDS 93 

VI.  WAS  HE  THE  BURGLAR  ?  108 

VII.  A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS      .        ...  124 

VIII.  A  RIDE  IN  A  SEDAN  CHAIR  .         .         .        .  146 

IX.     THE  DINNER  PARTY 163 

X.  TWINS  TO  THE  RESCUE         .        .        .        .  177 

XL  PUTTING  A  KINK  IN  THE  DOLPHIN'S  TAIL     .  194 

XII.  A  VISIT  TO  THE  CAPTAINS' WATCH-TOWER  211 

XIII.  A  COSTLY  VICTORY      .....  228 

XIV.  THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  LOOKOUT  GAME     .  243 
XV.  THAT  FATAL  REGATTA        .        .        .        .261 

XVI.     CATCHING  AN  EEL 281 

XVII.  "  SUMMER-BY-THE-SEA  "  297 

XVIII.  THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAY  .        .        .  313 
XIX.  A  WONDERFUL  WORLD        .        .        .        .  333 


5 

J21336C3 


Illustrations 

PAGE 

How  THEY  HAD  CHATTERED    ....  Frontispiece 

"  I'M  ALL  RIGHT  Now  " 42 

"I'VE  BEEN  ON  THE  LOOKOUT"         ....     105 
"  THANKS,  I  WAS  JUST  GOING  "         .        .        .         .201 

SHE  REACHED  FOR  THE  BALL 238 

"  HAS  A  TELEGRAM  COME  ?  " 269 

"  MY  BALLOONS  AREN'T  HERE  "  299 


Nancy  Lee's  Lookout 


Nancy  Lee's  Lookout 


CHAPTER  I 

SUMMER   PLANS 

"On,  mother  dear,  what  do  you  suppose  our 
sweet  little  Timmy  is  doing  now  ? "  demanded 
Nancy  Lee,  darting  out  upon  the  piazza  of  the  Lee 
family's  summer  cottage,  where  her  mother  sat 
sewing. 

It  was  a  perfect  June  afternoon,  all  cool  green- 
ery near  the  piazza,  and  beyond,  blue  shimmering 
sea,  sparkling  and  dancing  in  the  sunshine.  But 
Nancy,  all  out  of  tune  with  the  summer  peace, 
swept  out  of  the  house  like  a  wild  March  wind, 
perched  uncertainly  on  the  piazza  railing  for  an 
instant,  and  then  dropped  into  a  wicker  chair  near 
mother's,  and  leaned  limply  back  against  the  scar- 
let cushions  with  an  expression  of  petulant  misery 
on  her  usually  merry  face.  The  wild  March 
breeze  seemed  almost  ready  to  blow  up  an  April 
shower. 

And  yet  there  was  nothing  the  matter  with 
Nancy  Lee,  except  that  she  had  been  having  too 

9 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

good  a  time.  She  had  just  reached  home  after  a 
very  exciting  journey,  had  found  more  excitements 
awaiting  her  at  the  journey's  end,  and  now  she 
was  feeling  the  reaction  that  all  joyous  adventures 
are  likely  to  bring  in  their  wake. 

"  I  just  can't  settle  down  to  anything  !  "  sighed 
poor  Nancy,  without  waiting  for  mother  to  an- 
swer her  question. 

It  was  rather  more  than  a  week  since  Fair  Oaks 
School  had  closed  for  the  summer  vacation,  and 
Timmy  Lee  Marshall  Raftery,  adored  young  pro- 
te'ge'  of  Fair  Oaks,  had  started  for  his  Western 
home,  under  the  guardianship  of  Lloyd  Mallory, 
Margaret  Lewis,  Jeanne  Durand,  and  Nancy  Lee, 
with  little  Miss  Dutton  to  chaperon  the  expedi- 
tion. There  was  no  real  reason  why  Nancy,  not 
being  a  Western  girl,  should  have  been  of  Timmy's 
party,  except  one.  It  was  she  who  had  found  the 
adorable  Timmy  and  presented  him  to  Fair  Oaks 
School.  On  this  account  he  had  always  seemed  to 
belong  a  little  more  to  Nancy  than  to  any  one  else. 
This  fact  and  the  possession  of  an  understanding 
and  generous  father  had  secured  for  Nancy  the 
chance  of  helping  to  escort  Timmy  home.  And 
now  Timmy  was  safe  in  the  custody  of  his  doting 
parents  and  Nancy  had  likewise  arrived  in  the 
midst  of  her  family  circle.  Her  home-coming 
had  brought  her  another  bit  of  excitement,  as  un- 

10 


SUMMER    PLANS 

expected  and  delightful  as  her  father's  permission 
to  make  the  trip  out  to  Pine  Ridge,  Michigan, 
with  Timmy.  And  father  was  at  the  bottom  of 
this  second  surprise  also — he  was  certainly  a  per- 
fectly splendid  father  ! 

He  had  met  his  daughter  in  Boston,  listened, 
almost  appreciatively  enough  to  suit  her,  to  the 
story  of  her  adventures  in  Pine  Ridge  and  at 
Camp  Sixty-Nine,  and  when  even  Nancy's  supreme 
interest  in  Timmy  could  evolve  no  new  details 
about  him,  and  the  journey  was  beginning  to  seem 
very  hot  and  dusty  and  tedious,  father  suddenly 
began  to  enliven  it  by  mysterious  references  to  a 
grand  surprise  that  awaited  Nancy  at  the  end  of 
the  trip. 

Yes,  mother  had  been  surprised,  and  brother 
Dick.  As  for  the  rest  of  the  Lee  family, — Will- 
iam, aged  eleven,  and  Josephine,  aged  thirteen, 
more  intimately  known  as  Bill  and  Joe,  because 
they  were  inseparable  and  Josephine  was  a  good 
deal  of  a  tomboy, — they,  too,  had  been  tremen- 
dously surprised,  Mr.  Lee  assured  his  excited 
daughter.  And  did  they  like  it?  Mother  and 
Dick  did  ;  Bill  and  Joe  hadn't  been  sure,  when 
father,  who  had  had  to  hurry  right  back  to  busi- 
ness, after  having  escorted  his  family  to  Halcyon 
Bay  and  sprung  his  surprise  on  them,  had  seen 
the  volatile  pair  last. 

ii 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

"Then  I  suppose  I  shall  like  it,"  said  Nancy 
sagely,  "  if  it's  the  kind  of  thing  grown-ups  like, 
and  children  can't  appreciate  at  first." 

"  You've  grown  up  amazingly  since  I  saw  you 
last  spring,"  teased  father. 

"  Well,  I  truly  have,"  Nancy  defended  herself 
earnestly.  "  It  may  not  show  much  outside,  but 
I  feel  as  old  and  responsible  as  anything.  I'm 
going  to  do  so  many  useful  things  to  help  this 


summer  1 " 


"  The  surprise  will  like  to  hear  that,"  said  father 
solemnly. 

"The  surprise — will — like Oh,  father,  it's 

not  any  kind  of  governess,  is  it?  " 

Father  shook  his  head.  "  But  it  will  appreciate 
small  attentions  from  useful  young  persons  like 
yourself.  It's  not  quite  finished,  you  see.  That 
is,  it  hasn't  fully  adapted  itself  to  our  family 
ways." 

Nancy  meditated.  "  Are  you  talking  fair, 
father?  One  minute  the  surprise  sounds  like  a 
person,  and  then  like  a  thing,  and  then  like  a  new 
pet  that  has  to  be  trained  not  to  claw  the  furni- 
ture, like  the  Spoiled  Kitten,  or  chew  up  mother's 
best  shoes,  like  Dick's  collie.  Did  Josephine  take 
good  care  of  the  Spoiled  Kitten  on  the  train,  fa- 
ther ?  He  hates  to  travel  so.  Why,  here  we  are  ! '' 

It  was  quite  dark  by  the  time  they  got  to  the 

12 


SUMMER    PLANS 

end  of  the  long  trolley  ride  that  supplemented 
the  train  trip.  Nancy  thought  it  rather  silly  of 
father  to  take  a  carriage,  when  the  house  was  just 
a  step  off,  up  Rocky  Neck  Hill  and  down  Willow 
Lane.  But  when  their  driver  kept  straight  on, 
past  Willow  Lane,  past  the  Inn,  and  on  along 
Lighthouse  Road,  Nancy  was  first  bewildered,  and 
then,  in  a  flash,  she  understood. 

"  You've  bought  us  '  The  Crags,'  father  I  That's 
the  grand  surprise  !  " 

"  Good  guess !  "  chuckled  Mr.  Lee.  "  Your 
mother  was  at  least  twice  as  long  making  out 
what  was  up." 

"  Oh,  I  wanted  that  place  so ! "  sighed  Nancy 
blissfully.  "  It's  such  a  nice,  squatty,  friendly 
house.  Ours  was  so  dreadfully  plain  and  tall 
and  thin.  And  the  grounds  are  so  big  and  so 
fascinating  !  " 

"  You've  never  half  seen  them,  Miss  Cock-sure," 
laughed  her  father.  "  You  were  always  wishing 
last  summer  that  Miss  Willis  would  let  you  wan- 
der around  by  yourself  when  you  went  to  call  on 
her,  instead  of  giving  you  high  tea  on  the  piazza, 
and  then  sending  you  off  for  a  ride  in  her  launch." 

Nancy  laughed.  "  And  she  never  once  forgot 
to  tell  her  captain  to  bring  us  back  to  the  Inn 
dock,  so  we  shouldn't  have  the  long  walk  home. 
I  was  always  hoping  she  wouldn't  mention  it,  and 

13 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

then  I  could  have  been  brought  back  to  her  dock 
and  wandered  a  little  speck,  maybe,  on  the  way  up 
to  the  house  to  thank  her  for  the  sail.  No,  I 
haven't  really  explored  at  all.  But  all  the  same,  I 
know  that '  The  Crags  '  is  perfectly,  perfectly  fas- 
cinating." 

"  How  so  ?  "  demanded  father. 

"  Because  it's  big  enough  and  tangly  enough  to 
make  you  long  to  explore  it !  "  returned  Nancy 
promptly.  "  And  it's  right  on  the  water,  with  its 
very  own  rocks " 

"  And  its  very  own  mosquitoes  ! "  scoffed  father. 

Nancy  reached  over  and  squeezed  his  hand  lov- 
ingly. "  You're  an  old  dear,  father.  First,  to  let 
me  go  home  with  Timmy,  and  then,  this  !  Of 
course  the  new  house  is  for  all  of  us,  but  I  was  the 
one  that  wanted  it  most,  and  I'll  try  to  pay  up 
by » 

A  war-whoop  from  the  roadside  interrupted 
Nancy's  grateful  little  speech,  and  William  and 
Josephine  leaped  disconcertingly  out  of  the  shad- 
ows. 

"  Hello,  Nancy  !  "  shrieked  William. 

"  Does  she  know  about  the  surprise,  father  ? " 
demanded  Josephine. 

"  Did  you  remember  to  bring  us  the  fish-lines?  " 
chanted  the  two  in  noisy  unison. 

"  Climb  in,  you  rogues,"  laughed  father.  "  You 

14 


SUMMER    PLANS 

ought  to  be  in  bed.  Anybody  that's  going  deep 
sea  fishing  with  me  before  breakfast " 

"  Oh,  joyous,  joyous  I  "  sang  Bill  and  Joe. 

"  Here  they  are  at  last !  "  Mother  and  Dick 
were  down  by  the  gate  to  meet  the  travelers — that 
fascinating  rustic  gate  with  red  roses  growing  over 
it.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  the  roses,  but  Nancy 
reached  up  to  feel  them  with  one  arm,  while  she 
hugged  mother  with  the  other. 

"  Oh,  I  can't  wait  to  see  how  it  looks,  now  that 
it's  ours !  "  she  cried,  dancing  down  the  dark,  lit- 
tle woodsy  path,  with  the  house  lights  gleaming  a 
welcome  at  the  other  end. 

Beyond  the  piazza  it  was  all  velvety  black,  ex- 
cept where  some  yacht's  lamps  twinkled  green  and 
gold  and  scarlet,  or  the  stars  shone  softly  high 
above  them.  But  Nancy  could  feel  the  rocks  and 
the  pretty  stone  boat-house  and  the  rippling  waters 
of  Halcyon  Bay  as  surely  as,  a  minute  before,  she 
had  felt  the  red  roses. 

"  Oh,  you  can  see  the  lighthouse  lamp,  Dick ! 
You  can,  you  can  !  "  she  cried  delightedly,  leaning 
out  over  the  piazza  railing.  "  Do  you  remember 
how  we  discussed  it  last  summer,  and  you  said  one 
couldn't?" 

"  I  was  right,  too,  till  father  had  the  foliage 
pruned  up  a  bit,"  explained  Dick  loftily.  Dick 
had  lived  at  "  The  Crags  "  for  more  than  a  week, 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

and  could  affect  the  superiority  of  an  old  inhab- 
itant. "  Don't  you  '  oh '  and  '  ah  '  too  much  to- 
night," he  advised  Ifcs  excited  sister.  "  Save  some 
thunder  till  you  see  how  father's  had  the  boat 
fixed  up,  and  you've  played  tennis  on  our  own 
court." 

"  Oh,  is  there  really  a  tennis-court  ?  "  gasped 
Nancy.  "  Where?  I  never  saw  it." 

"  Off  down  there."  Dick  waved  vaguely  into  the 
soft  darkness.  "  You  can't  get  as  much  as  a  sight 
of  it  from  the  house  or  the  road.  It's  a  dandy 
court  too,  or  will  be  after  we've  played  on  it  a  bit. 
Now  aren't  you  sorry  you  wasted  a  week  chasing 
home  with  that  kid  you  call  Timmy  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  declared  Nancy  vehemently. 
"  But  now  I'm  here  I  simply  can't  wait  for  it  to  be 
morning." 

"  Guess  you'll  just  about  have  to,  all  the  same," 
adjured  Dick,  resuming  his  superior  air.  "Be- 
sides, this  new  house  is  fine,  but  otherwise  noth- 
ing's doing  here  at  Halcyon.  None  of  our  special 
crowd  has  come  yet — most  of  'em  seem  not  to  be 
coming  at  all  this  year.  Two  stunning  girls  live 
next  door,  and  that  tall  boy  who  was  at  the  Inn 
last  August — the  fellow  who  did  the  diving  stunts. 
I  haven't  talked  to  'em  yet.  Mother  says  she'll  call 
soon,  because  it's  their  first  summer  at  Halcyon 
and  our  third." 

16 


SUMMER    PLANS 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Nancy  absently.  "  I'm  glad 
there  are  boys  and  girls  next  door,  Dick,  but  I 
haven't  seen  my  room.  I  calPt  be  interested  yet 
a  while  in  anything  as  far  away  as  next  door." 

No  one  can  half  see  a  new  house  by  lamp-light. 
In  the  morning  Nancy  felt  impelled  to  make  the 
whole  tour  of  inspection  over  again,  beginning 
with  her  own  little  room,  which  she  loved  at  once, 
because  the  bay  glistened  outside  of  one  window 
and  a  giant  cedar-tree  shaded  the  other.  As 
Nancy  was  dressing,  a  little  brown  bird  hopped 
from  the  tree  to  her  window-sill  and  chirped  good- 
morning. 

"  Just  like  Camp  Sixty-Nine,"  smiled  Nancy, 
and  realized  that  she  had  actually  been  awake 
half  an  hour  without  once  thinking  of  Timmy. 

Josephine's  room  fronted  the  road.  "  Mother 
offered  me  a  new  one  up  on  the  third  floor,"  ex- 
plained the  little  sister  importantly,  "  but  I'd 
rather  see  who  goes  by.  And  I  think,  Nancy, 
that  I  could  crawl  across  that  piazza  roof  and 
shin  down  the  post,  if  ever  I  should  happen  to 
want  to  get  outdoors  in  a  rush." 

"  You'd  better  not  try  it,"  warned  Nancy  se- 
verely. "  It's  much  too  dangerous." 

"  Urn  !  "  sniffed  Josephine,  "  I'll  bet  I  wouldn't 
fall.  Good-bye !  Father's  trilling  for  us  to  go  out 
in  the  boat." 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Nancy  inspected  the  pretty  guest-room,  which 
she  hoped  would  hold  several  Fair  Oaks  girls  be- 
fore the  summer  was  over,  and  then  climbed  up  to 
the  third  floor,  where  Dick  and  William  had  their 
quarters  under  the  eaves.  You  could  see  the 
lighthouse  splendidly  from  up  there,  and  there 
were  cupboards  in  the  niches  below  the  dormer 
windows  that  Nancy  coveted.  But  the  cedar-tree 
didn't  grow  up  to  the  third  story,  and  when  you 
weren't  thinking,  you  bumped  your  head  against 
the  sloping  ceilings. 

"  I  should  probably  bump  mine  pretty  often," 
sighed  Nancy,  after  one  such  experience,  and  ran 
down  to  say  good-morning  to  mother.  Mother's 
room  had  four  windows,  with  a  porch,  shaded  by 
the  other  side  of  Nancy's  cedar-tree,  opening  out 
from  one  long  one. 

"  That's  to  be  my  private  rest-room,"  explained 
Mrs.  Lee,  "  where  I  can  go  when  I  want  to  be  ab- 
solutely undisturbed.  I'm  glad  you've  come,  little 
daughter,  to  help  me  take  charge  here.  I've  had 
rather  a  hard  winter  with  Josephine's  measles  and 
Billy's  teeth  and  Dick's  dog.  But  if  you  can  be 
hands  and  feet  and  brains  for  me  for  a  few  weeks, 
I  shall  be  quite  ready  to  take  hold  again  in  time  to 
start  you  off  for  another  year  at  school." 

"  I  will,  mother.  I'll  help  you  a  lot,"  promised 
Nancy  enthusiastically.  "  But  before  I  can  be 

18 


SUMMER    PLANS 

brains  for  anybody,  even  myself,  I've  simply  got 
to  look  around  at  everything  here  and  make  my- 
self understand  that  it's  all  ours.  So  far  I  feel — 
mixed." 

Mother  laughed.  "Of  course  you  do.  Look 
around  all  you  like,  and  don't  hurry.  Besides,  I 
didn't  mean  that  I  want  you  to  give  me  all  your 
time.  Dick  needs  a  jolly  companion  as  much  as  I 
need  a  helper.  He's  wandered  around  quite  for- 
lornly, waiting  for  you  to  come  and  make  friends 
with  the  young  people  next  door.  He  quite  de- 
pends on  you  to  begin  acquaintances  for  him,  you 
know,  Nancy." 

"  Does  he  ?  "  Nancy  was  secretly  delighted  to 
find  that  the  debonair  Dick  depended  on  her  for 
anything.  "  Well,  I'll  try.  But  first  I  must  see 
the  tennis-court  and  the  boat-house  and  every- 
thing else  that  belongs  to  us." 

"  Breakfast,"  suggested  mother,  but  Nancy  was 
half-way  down-stairs. 

The  land  belonging  to  "  The  Crags  "  was  just  a 
three-acre  square  of  unspoiled  moorland,  rocky, 
bushy,  wooded  in  spots,  highest  by  the  road  and 
sloping  gradually  down  to  the  rocks  and  the  water. 
Nancy  easily  discovered  the  wide  path  that  led  to 
the  boat-house,  the  last  bit  being  an  easy  flight  of 
stone  stairs  cut  down  through  the  cliff.  A  nar- 
rower path  branching  to  the  left  went  to  the  ten- 

19 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

nis-court,  cleverly  hidden  in  greenery,  with  high 
side-nets  to  keep  the  balls  within  bounds.  A  little 
door  in  the  wire  netting  let  the  players  in  and  out 
of  the  enclosure,  and  there  was  a  comfortable  green 
bench  for  spectators  or  tired  players.  A  tennis- 
court  of  one's  own  seemed  to  Nancy  the  absolute 
height  of  luxury.  She  did  wish  that  Dick  would 
come  back  from  fishing  and  play  on  it  with  her. 
Meanwhile,  she  explored  the  rocks  for  good  seats, 
— it  would  be  splendid  to  watch  the  sunset  from 
one's  very  own  rocks, — returned  to  admire  the 
tennis-court  again,  followed  an  overgrown  by-path 
from  there  to  the  side  fence,  and  stared  over  at  the 
house  next  door  without  catching  even  a  glimpse 
of  the  two  handsome  girls  and  the  diving  boy, 
lost  the  path  on  the  way  back,  and  discovered  a 
patch  of  dainty  cranberry  vines,  which  seemed 
somehow  as  splendid  to  own  as  rocks. 

"  I'd  better  see  how  far  we  go  on  the  other  side," 
considered  Nancy,  spying  a  second  uncertain  little 
trail  that  branched  to  the  right  from  the  boat- 
house  path.  "  I'm  glad  there's  a  vacant  lot  on  that 
side  of  us.  I  don't  want  too  many  neighbors." 

This  little  path  rambled  and  twisted,  finally 
reaching  the  northwest  corner  of  "  The  Crags " 
enclosure. 

"  Why,  there  are  roses  here,  too  ! "  exclaimed 
Nancy  delightedly,  catching  a  glint  of  scarlet 

20 


SUMMER    PLANS 

along  the  side  fence.  "  Oh,  and  white  iris !  Mother 
never  told  me  !  Oh,  and " 

With  one  of  her  impulsive  little  dashes,  Nancy 
ran  forward  and  up  three  steps  into  the  quaintest, 
dearest  little  summer-house  imaginable.  The 
stone  steps  were  half  hidden  by  the  bay  and  sweet 
fern  bushes  that  grew  close  around  them.  The 
posts  that  supported  the  roof  were  all  but  two  of 
them  live  tree  trunks,  the  rustic  railing  between 
the  posts  was  twined  with  clematis  vines  or 
masked  in  shrubbery,  and  the  arched  roof  was  so 
cunningly  hidden  under  the  canopy  of  green 
boughs  that  branched  from  the  side  pillars  that 
you  couldn't  see  it  at  all  until  you  actually  stood 
beneath  it. 

"  What  an  adorable  summer-house ! "  cried 
Nancy.  "  Just  like  a " 

There  facing  her  against  a  pillar  was  fastened  a 
sign  in  raised  gray  letters  stuck  on  a  mossy  plank  : 
"The  Birdcage." 

"  Why,  it's  exactly  like  a  birdcage  I "  cried 
Nancy  delightedly.  "  Even  Jane  Learned  couldn't 
have  found  a  better  name  for  it." 

A  curving  seat  was  built  between  two  of  the 
pillars.  Between  two  others  stood  a  small  table, 
with  a  chest  underneath  it — a  fascinating  little 
chest  made  of  white  birch  slabs.  And  it  must  hold 
something  valuable,  for  it  was  securely  padlocked. 

21 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

There  were  also  two  armchairs,  in  rustic  style  like 
all  the  rest  of  the  furnishings.  Nancy  tried  them 
both,  and  decided  that,  with  cushions  to  pad  the 
rather  ridgy  effect  of  the  slab  seats,  they  would  be 
the  height  of  comfort.  One  even  had  an  adjust- 
able back,  like  father's  Morris  chair. 

The  little  house  was  perched  just  above  the 
rocky  beach,  in  the  very  corner  of  the  Lees'  land. 
Beyond,  the  ground  fell  sharply  away  on  two 
sides,  giving  the  Birdcage  the  effect  of  being  hung 
very  high  up  among  the  trees.  Nancy  drew  an 
armchair  close  to  the  railing  on  the  ocean  side, 
and  lay  back  in  it  to  get  the  effect.  In  a  minute 
voices  just  below  her  made  her  jump.  Leaning 
cautiously  forward,  she  could  see  two  girls,  one  of 
whom  she  had  met  at  the  Inn  last  summer,  clam- 
bering over  the  rocks  beyond  the  fence.  The  va- 
cant lot  had  very  nice  rocks  along  its  water-front. 
Nancy  had  often  climbed  about  on  them  before 
she  had  rocks  of  her  own. 

Cautiously  Nancy  moved  back  from  the  railing. 
"  I'd  rather  keep  the  Birdcage  a  secret,"  she 
thought.  "  I  never  noticed  it  from  down  there,  but 
perhaps  you  can  see  it,  if  you  know  where  to  look. 
I'll  investigate,  but  not  now,  because  that  girl 
might  ask  me  what  I  was  looking  for.  To  think 
that  nobody  told  me  about  our  Birdcage  I  " 

Back  to  the  house  sped  Nancy. 

22 


SUMMER    PLANS 

"  Mother,  why  didn't  you  tell  me  about  the 
Birdcage  ? "  she  demanded,  tumbling  up  the 
piazza  steps. 

Just  outside  the  living-room  door  the  table  was 
spread  for  breakfast,  and  mother  sat  there  in  lonely 
state,  eating  a  delicious-looking  melon. 

"  It's  long  after  breakfast  time,"  she  said,  sur- 
veying her  rumpled  daughter  rather  critically. 
"  I  sent  Rosa  to  the  boat-house  to  tell  you  that  the 
others  had  eaten  before  they  started ;  but  she 
couldn't  find  you." 

"  I  must  have  been  at  the  tennis-court  or  in  the 
Birdcage.  I'm  sorry  I  forgot  breakfast,"  said 
Nancy,  slipping  into  her  seat. 

"  And  what  is  the  Birdcage  ?  "  asked  mother. 

Nancy  jumped  up  again.  "Then  you  haven't 
seen  it?  Nobody's  found  it  but  me?  Oh,  come 
and  let  me  show  you  !  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  I've  had  a 
chance  to  discover  one  of  our  lovely  new  belong- 
ings for  myself." 

"  Yes,  dear.     I'll  see  it  after  breakfast." 

Nancy  sank  back  shamefacedly  into  her  chair. 
It  was  silly  to  get  so  excited  about  beautiful 
things.  But  mother  hadn't  seen  it, — didn't  know 
how  pretty  it  was  nor  how  wonderful  white  irises 
can  be  growing  against  a  tangle  of  roses  that 
clamber  over  a  rustic  fence,  with  a  Birdcage  beside 
them. 

23 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

When  Nancy  mentioned  the  flowers,  even 
mother  got  a  little  excited. 

"  Miss  Willis  told  me  that  she  had  started  a 
garden,  but  I  haven't  found  anything  but  the  beds 
around  the  house,  so  I've  had  more  laid  out  up 
here.  I  prefer  my  flowers  where  I  can  see  them 
all  the  time." 

"  Oh,  mother  I "  Nancy  had  had  an  exciting 
idea.  "  You  have  your  own  piazza,  and  father 
and  Dick  have  the  boat  and  the  boat-house.  Could 
I  have  the  Birdcage  for  mine?  I'd  like  to  make 
green  cushions  for  the  seats,  and  have  a  green  jar 
for  flowers  on  the  little  table,  and — oh,  fix  it  all 
up  just  as  I  want  to.  Of  course,"  added  Nancy 
hastily,  "  you  could  all  go  there  just  the  same. 
Only  Bill  and  Joe  mustn't  muss  it  all  up,  nor 
bother  when  the  girls  come  to  see  me,  and  we  want 
to  sit  out  there  and  talk." 

"  I  think  you  might  have  the  Birdcage  for  your 
special  plaything,  Nancy,"  promised  mother,  "  un- 
less your  father  has  designs  on  it,  and  I'm  quite 
sure  he  knows  nothing  at  all  about  it.  I  remem- 
ber there  was  a  key  on  the  bunch  Miss  Willis 
turned  over  to  us  marked  '  Birdcage.'  Has  your 
fascinating  little  house  a  door?  " 

"  Oh,  that  must  be  the  key  to  the  birch-bark 
chest !  "  cried  Nancy  joyously.  "  I'm  so  glad  it's 
not  lost ! "  And  she  explained  about  the  white 

24 


SUMMER    PLANS 

birch  box  under  the  table.  "  We  can  open  it 
when  you  go  out  with  me,  can't  we?  What  do 
you  suppose  is  inside  ?  " 

"  Bird-seed,  perhaps,"  suggested  mother  gaily. 

But  it  wasn't  exactly  bird-seed  that  they  found 
in  the  chest, — though  Nancy  said  that  mother's 
guess  was  warm,  since  this  birdcage  was  for  hu- 
man birds,  and  tea  is  about  as  near  as  you  can 
come  to  human  bird-seed.  There  was  a  cannister 
of  tea  in  the  chest — a  very  festive,  flower-painted 
cannister.  There  were  also  six  gray-green  cups 
and  six  saucers  of  Japanese  china,  six  little  wooden 
spoons, — stirring  spoons,  Nancy  called  them,  since 
they  were  certainly  too  small  for  any  other  pur- 
pose,— a  squatty  pot,  a  sugar-bowl,  a  pitcher,  and  a 
plate,  all  gray-green  like  the  cups,  with  a  tiny 
wooden  fork  lying  on  the  plate. 

They  puzzled  over  the  fork  for  some  time,  until 
Mrs.  Lee  had  an  inspiration  ;  of  course  it  was  for 
the  lemon. 

Nancy  arranged  the  tea-set  on  the  table,  and  ad- 
mired it  in  her  usual  enthusiastic  fashion. 

"  To  think  how  often  we  had  tea  with  Miss 
Willis,  and  she  never  let  us  have  it  here !  "  she 
sighed. 

"  This  was  her  own  little  private  nook,  I  fancy," 
said  Mrs.  Lee.  "  Miss  Willis  is  a  very  famous  artist, 
you  know,  daughter.  She  probably  wanted  to 

25 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

keep  one  place  all  to  herself,  as  I'm  keeping  my 
private  piazza." 

Nancy  nodded.  "  Yes,  that's  it.  It  was  too 
precious  to  show  to  anybody,  except  perhaps  her 
very  dearest  friends.  I  think  I  should  like  to 
keep  it  rather  secret  too,  mother — just  for  us  and 
our  best  friends.  Is  the  china  surely  ours  ?  Miss 
Willis  didn't  forget  to  take  it  away  with  her  ?  " 

Yes,  it  was  surely  theirs,  Mrs.  Lee  said  ;  the 
sale  of  "  The  Crags  "  had  included  nearly  all  the 
furnishings. 

So  the  Birdcage  tea-set  was  repacked  in  its  chest 
and  carefully  locked  in  by  Nancy,  who  proudly 
accepted  the  custodianship  of  the  key  from 
mother. 

Mrs.  Lee  promised  to  write  at  once  for  cushions 
and  samples  of  gray-green  covering,  after  which 
there  was  really  nothing  more  to  do  about  the 
Birdcage.  So  Nancy  unpacked,  forcing  herself  to 
keep  at  the  unwelcome  task  until  all  her  belong- 
ings were  in  apple-pie  order.  Then,  the  fishing- 
party,  arriving  home  in  a  state  of  ravenous  anxi- 
ety for  luncheon,  duly  wondered  at  and  admired 
Nancy's  find  ;  and  Mr.  Lee  laughingly  assured  her 
that  in  their  family  finding  was  keeping — when 
mother  said  so.  In  the  afternoon  Dick  and  his 
father  went  off  sailing  again,  the  younger  children 
vanished  on  mysterious  business  of  their  own, 

26 


SUMMER   PLANS 

Mrs.  Lee  settled  herself  on  the  piazza  with  a  book 
and  some  sewing,  and  Nancy,  after  her  rapturous 
morning,  was  suddenly  and  fiercely  assailed  by 
that  desolate,  lost  feeling  that  comes  sometimes  in 
the  wake  of  raptures. 

She  tried  to  read,  started  to  go  to  the  post-office 
with  the  letter  about  the  cushions,  and  decided 
that  it  was  foolish  to  walk  so  far  when  the  mail- 
man would  be  along  soon.  She  found  the  piazza 
sunny,  the  house  stuffy,  the  Birdcage  lonely.  And 
so  at  last  she  burst  out  upon  her  mother  with  the 
question  about  Timmy :  "  What  do  you  suppose 
he's  doing  now  ?  "  followed  by  her  plaintive  wail, 
"  I  just  can't  settle  down  to  anything  ! " 

"  You  miss  Timmy  and  all  your  Fair  Oaks 
friends,  don't  you  ?  "  mother  returned  sympathetic- 
ally. "  Dick  will  be  back  soon,  I  think,  for  some 
tennis." 

"  Did  I  tell  you  about  Timmy's  naming-party, 
mother  ?  "  demanded  Nancy. 

"  Yes,  dear,  you  did.  I'm  almost  afraid  you've 
told  me  all  about  him.  Why  don't  you  go  down 
to  the  Inn  ?  The  Minots  have  come,  I  think, 
and " 

"  Oh,  Louise  Minot  wouldn't  care  about — I  mean 
I  think  I  won't  to-day,  mother." 

Mother  smiled  again  with  the  perfect  under- 
standing she  could  always  be  relied  upon  for. 

27 


NANCT    LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  If  I  were  you,  I  should  write  it  all  down  in  your 
Red  Journal,  Nancy,  all  about  your  wonderful 
baby  and  his  trip  home." 

"  Oh,  I  have,  every  night,  so  I  wouldn't  forget 
anything, — not  any  least  little  thing.  I  promised 
the  Learned  twins " 

"  Then  go  and  write  to  them,"  advised  Mrs.  Lee 
briskly. 

"Yes,  mother.  I'll  mail  your  letter  with  mine. 
Mine  won't  be  ready  for  the  postman ;  it  will  be 
most  awfully  long."  Complete  satisfaction  in  her 
voice,  Nancy  was  off. 

"  DEAR  TWINS  : 

"  Pine  Ridge  is  the  homeliest  place  you  ever 
saw  or  dreamed  of.  If  Timmy  grows  up  there,  he 
certainly  won't  learn  to  be  extravagant,  because 
there's  nothing  to  spend  money  for.  The  stores 
are  too  little  and  funny  for  anything.  There  isn't 
even  a  soda  fountain. 

"John  Smith  is  six  feet  and  four  inches  tall  and 
has  nine  children  and  four  grandchildren.  One, 
he  says,  is  a  caution,  and  one  he's  never  seen.  He 
lives  in  New  York  most  of  the  time,  and  has  in- 
terests in  Pine  Ridge.  That  means  he  owns  a  lot 
of  timber  and  all  the  mills  at  Camp  Sixty-Nine 
are  his.  He  is  the  funniest,  most  excitable  old 
gentleman.  He  liked  Jeanne  best,  because  she  let 

28 


SUMMER    PLANS 

him  talk  at  her  in  torrents,  just  saying  '  yes'  and 
4  no ' in  her  sweet  little  voice,  instead  of  pouring 
questions  at  him,  as  Margaret  and  I  did.  He  per- 
fectly hates  questions.  He  shakes  his  finger  at 
you  and  says,  '  One  moment,  madam,  one  mo- 
ment 1  We  shall  come  to  that  directly  I '  At 
least  he  said  '  madam '  to  Miss  Dutton  and  Lloyd, 
because  she  only  interrupted  once,  perhaps.  To 
Margaret  and  me  he  said  *  child.' 

"  But  he  made  up  by  loving  Timmy  like  one  of 
his  own  grandchildren,  if  not  more  so,  and  he  saw 
to  everything  for  us  splendidly.  He  must  be 
pretty  rich,  and  we're  rather  afraid  that  he'll  want 
to  steal  Timmy's  education  and  so  on  away  from 
Fair  Oaks.  We  didn't  dare  to  ask  him,  because 
he  hates  questions  so. 

"  The  Rafterys  are  comical,  too.  Patrick  is  a 
little  wiry,  red-haired  man,  with  freckles,  a  turned- 
up  nose,  and  a  smile  that  won't  come  off  and 
spills  over  on  to  everybody  else.  They  keep  him 
in  spite  of  his  laziness,  because  he  makes  every- 
body good-natured,  and  so  things  always  run 
smoothly  at  Camp  Sixty-Nine.  He  hugged  Timmy 
till  I  thought  the  poor  child  would  be  smothered  ; 
but  he  wasn't,  and  he  seemed  to  like  it.  Mrs. 
Raftery  didn't  say  much.  I  almost  thought  she 
didn't  care,  until  I  happened  to  see  that  her  eyes 
were  full  of  tears.  She  knows  all  about  babies. 

29 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

That  Mrs.  Sefton  had  her  taught  at  a  school  in  St. 
Louis,  and  she  took  care  of  three  Sefton  children, 
all  delicate.  Of  course  she's  busy,  because  she 
does  the  cooking  and  housekeeping  for  twenty- 
five  men ;  but  she  is  the  kind  that  can  fit  things 
in  and  get  a  lot  done  in  a  few  minutes.  She 
seemed  just  like  the  mothers  of  great  men  that 
you  read  about — Abraham  Lincoln's,  I  mean  par- 
ticularly. Margaret  noticed  that,  and  Miss  Button 
thought  so  too. 

"  If  I  were  you,  Jane,  of  course  I  could  tell  a 
romantic  story  of  our  trip;  but  being  just  Nancy 
Lee,  I  can  only  say  that  Timmy's  favorite  block 
was  lost  the  first  time  we  changed  cars — no,  not 
by  me,  so  don't  make  hateful  remarks.  After 
that  he  would  cry  some,  and  I  do  think  it  was  for- 
tunate that  I  went  along  to  pacify  him.  Getting 
there  was  terribly  exciting  of  course,  and  saying 
good-bye  was  agonizing,  especially  as  Timmy 
wouldn't  even  look  at  me,  he  was  so  busy  pulling 
his  father's  red  hair.  Of  course  I  want  him  to  be 
happy  and  contented  in  his  own  home,  but  it  was 
pretty  hard  to  be  ignored  like  that.  Such  is  life, 
I  guess.  Miss  Button's  friend,  Mrs.  Watson,  is  as 
sweet  as  she  can  be,  though  she  doesn't  know  a 
thing  about  babies.  She  invited  us  all  to  come 
out  next  summer  and  visit  her  and  find  out  for 
ourselves  about  Timmy.  I  don't  suppose  I  can 

30 


SUMMER    PLANS 

go,  but  maybe  Margaret  or  Lloyd  can  stop  on  their 
way  West. 

"  Now  I  am  at  home  and  we  have  a  new  house 
with  a  lovely  yard,  big  enough  to  get  lost  in,  as  I 
did  when  I  was  exploring  it  this  morning,  a  ten- 
nis-court tucked  away  among  the  shrubbery,  and  a 
Birdcage  I  You  can  guess  all  you  like  about  that 
until  you  come  to  see  it  for  yourselves,  which  I 
hope  you  can  soon." 

Nancy's  busy  pen  which  had  been  fairly  flying 
over  the  paper  wavered  and  stopped. 

"  I  must  ask  mother  before  I  invite  them,"  she 
decided  swiftly.  "  I'm  afraid  I  almost  asked  them 
to  come  when  we  said  good-bye,  but  writing  it 
down  would  settle  it.  I  do  hope  mother  isn't  feel- 
ing too  tired  to  have  company." 

The  piazza,  when  Nancy  rushed  down  to  it  from 
her  room,  where  she  had  been  writing  at  the 
cedar-tree  window,  was  quite  empty.  Mother's 
book  lay  beside  her  work-basket  on  the  wicker 
table.  "  She  didn't  come  in  for  a  hat,"  reflected 
Nancy,  "  so  she  can't  be  far  off.  I'll  ask  Rosa  if 
she  saw  where  mother  went.  I  do  want  to  mail 
my  letter  before  dinner." 

But  Rosa,  who  was  shelling  peas  behind  the 
lattice  that  divided  her  piazza  from  the  family's, 
knew  nothing  of  her  mistress's  whereabouts. 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Nancy  felt  that  she  should  not  have  a  moment's 
peace  until  the  all-important  matter  of  the  twins' 
visit  was  settled.  But  Mrs.  Lee  was  not  down  on 
the  rocks,  nor  could  she  be  seen  on  Lighthouse 
Road,  which  ran  straight  as  an  arrow  for  a  long 
way  on  either  side  of  "  The  Crags  "  gateway.  She 
might  be  calling  next  door,  but  Nancy  fancied  she 
would  have  dressed  up,  at  least  to  the  extent  of 
hat  and  gloves,  for  a  first  call.  She  might  be 
hunting  Bill  and  Joe ;  in  which  case,  as  Nancy 
hadn't  heard  them  say  where  they  were  going,  she 
might  be  anywhere  on  Halcyon  Point.  Nancy 
considered  ;  it  was  rather  a  hopeless  quest. 

"  When  I  have  to  hunt  for  them  blind,  I  always 
try  Baxter's  Reef,"  she  mused,  "  and  they're  gen- 
erally somewhere  on  it.  I  believe  I'll  go  there 
anyhow,"  she  decided  swiftly,  and  turned  off  the 
main  road  on  to  a  grassy  lane  that  led  away  from 
the  bay,  past  one  side  of  Fresh  Pond,  and  right 
across  the  Point  to  the  broad  ocean. 

Swinging  along  on  the  familiar  road,  away  from 
the  delightful  strangeness  of  the  new  house,  Nancy 
suddenly  felt  at  home  again  in  Halycon.  Just 
beyond  the  turn  she  met  two  girls  and  a  very  tall 
boy  strolling  along  single-file  in  a  rather  bored 
way.  If  she  had  been  sure  that  they  were  the 
ones  who  belonged  next  door,  Nancy  would  have 
invited  them  to  join  her  in  exploring  Baxter's 

32 


SUMMER    PLANS 

Reef.  She  loved  showing  off  the  charms  of  Hal- 
cyon to  newcomers. 

A  minute  later  she  noticed  a  flag  flying  from 
the  pole  at  Gray  Gables.  "  Gray  Gables "  was 
Halycon's  show-place.  The  estate  occupied  a  big 
triangle  where  three  of  the  Point  roads  intersected, 
and  from  its  commanding  position  the  great  stone 
house  overlooked  the  whole  summer  colony.  It 
had  been  closed  for  years,  but  to-day  the  fluttering 
flag  certainly  suggested  tenants.  Yes,  a  motor 
was  chugging  impatiently  at  the  carriage  entrance. 

"  More  new  people  to  find  out  about  1 "  exulted 
Nancy.  "  I  hope  it's  a  nice  jolly  family  our  ages. 
I  wonder  if  mother  or  Dick  have  discovered  who 
they  are." 

All  Nancy's  habitual  interest  in  everything  and 
everybody  around  her  had  returned.  She  ran 
down  to  Fresh  Pond  to  admire  the  water-lilies, 
and  finding  one  alluringly  near  the  bank,  almost 
fell  in  trying  to  pluck  it.  She  made  a  detour  to 
inspect  two  new  houses  that  had  been  barely  begun 
the  fall  before.  People  were  living  in  one  of  them 
now — more  possibilities.  She  stopped  to  exchange 
enthusiastic  greetings  with  an  Inn  girl  she  had 
played  tennis  with  once  or  twice,  a  year  ago. 
Hidden  behind  a  tall  hedge,  she  watched  the  two 
funny  little  old  maids,  who  lived  in  the  tiny  white 
cottage  beyond  Fresh  Pond,  start  out  for  their 

33 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

daily  constitutional  with  Ginger,  their  big  tiger 
cat,  tagging  at  their  heels. 

Finally  a  short-cut  across  the  moor  brought 
her  out  on  Surf  Road  just  opposite  the  looming 
pile  of  Baxter's  Reef.  Nothing  to  be  seen  of  Bill 
and  Joe  or  of  mother ;  but  Nancy  didn't  care. 
The  sea  was  so  blue  and  sparkly,  with  white  crests 
of  foam  breaking  along  the  shore.  The  Reef  was 
so  big  and  splendid,  the  tide-pools  so  inviting. 
Nancy  drew  a  long  breath  and  started  down  the 
bank  to  the  stone  causeway,  the  natural  bridge 
that  led  out  from  the  beach  to  Baxter's.  Gaily 
she  skipped  from  stone  to  stone,  stopping  now  and 
then  to  choose  her  way.  Oh,  it  was  good  to  be 
alive,  to  be  young,  to  tramp,  to  climb,  to  be  out  in 
the  sun  and  the  wind,  to  smell  the  sea  I  It  was 
going  to  be  a  splendid,  splendid  summer  !  Nancy's 
last  jump  landed  her  at  the  foot  of  the  great  rock. 
Sure-footed  as  a  goat  in  her  rubber-soled  shoes,  she 
ran  up  the  steep  side  of  the  cliff  and  stood  exult- 
ant on  the  topmost  crag,  drinking  in  the  beauty 
of  sea  and  shore  and  moorland. 

"  Nobody  else  out  here,  I'm  glad  to  say.  I  love 
to  have  it  all  to  myself!  "  Nancy  danced  out  on 
the  rock's  projecting  nose  and  curled  up  in  her 
favorite  seat  on  a  narrow  shelf  above  a  big  tide- 
pool,  full  of  waving  seaweed. 

Yes,  it  was  going  to  be  a  splendid  summer,  with 

34 


SUMMER    PLANS 

the  new  house  to  enjoy,  mother  to  help,  Dick  to 
be  company  for,  new  friendships  to  make  and  old 
ones  to  strengthen.  All  summers  at  Halcyon  were 

pleasant,  but  this  one 

"  Is  that  a  sea-anemone  ? "  demanded  Nancy 
aloud,  squinting  at  a  pinky-white  object  in  the 
bottom  of  the  pool  below  her,  and  promptly  she 
slid  down  to  investigate. 


35 


CHAPTER  II 

EVERYTHING'S  SPOILED  ! 

"  WHU-WHU  !  How  do  I  get  down  there  where 
you  are  ?  " 

It  was  a  sea-anemone  that  Nancy's  sharp  eyes 
had  discovered  on  the  edge  of  her  favorite  tide- 
pool  :  a  lovely  big,  pinky-white  anemone,  and 
beside  it  were  two  baby  ones,  deep  orange  and  pale 
violet  respectively.  Nancy  rolled  up  her  sleeve 
and  stuck  her  hand  into  the  water,  touching  the 
queer  flower-like  tentacles  gently,  watching  them 
curl  up  tight  as  they  scented  danger,  and  slowly 
unfold  again  when  nothing  disastrous  happened. 
Anemones  were  getting  very  rare  at  Halcyon. 
Nancy  resolved  not  to  show  this  cluster  to  Bill 
and  Joe,  who,  with  the  best  intentions,  might 
handle  the  dainty  things  too  roughly. 

And  then,  at  the  call  from  above,  Nancy  stood 
up  swiftly,  frowning  a  little  at  this  summary 
invasion  of  her  happy  privacy.  Far  up  on  the  top 
of  the  big  pile  of  rock  stood  a  girl  about  Nancy's 
age — a  little  brown  gypsy  thing,  in  a  tan  linen 
dress,  the  skirt  of  which  fluttered  and  flapped 

36 


EVERTTHING'S    SPOILED! 

around  her  in  the  sea-wind.  Her  sandy  hair  blew 
too,  right  across  her  face,  so  that  she  looked  all 
one  color,  as  if  she  had  been  fashioned  out  of  the 
great  brown  rock  on  which  she  stood.  Nancy  was 
sure  that  she  had  never  seen  the  girl  before,  and 
she  felt  a  little  annoyed  at  the  stranger's  calm 
assumption  that  she  was  wanted  down  below. 
Still,  if  she  was  new  to  Halcyon  and  to  the  joys 
of  Baxter's  Reef,  and  if  she  wanted  to  go  out  as 
far  as  one  could  but  wasn't  very  good  at  exploring 
rocks,  Nancy  was  only  too  glad  to  help  her. 

"  Are  your  shoes  rubber-soled  ?  "  she  called  up 
to  the  interloper. 

"  No,  they're  not,"  sang  back  the  girl.  "  And 
they  slip  fearfully." 

"  Then  you'd  better  go  round  to  your  right  and 
come  down  by  the  crevice  you'll  see  there,"  advised 
Nancy.  "  I'll  meet  you  at  the  bottom  and  show 
you  how  I  got  out  here." 

"  But  I  shan't  show  her  the  anemones  I  "  added 
Nancy  to  herself,  running  easily  up  the  curving 
back  of  the  cliff  to  the  place  where  the  crevice, 
with  its  footholds  and  its  walls  to  steady  oneself 
by,  ended.  The  strange  girl  was  there  before  her. 

"  Jump  across  to  where  I  am,"  advised  Nancy, 
stretching  out  her  hand. 

"  Oh,  thank  you  !  "  panted  the  other  girl,  land- 
ing lightly  beside  Nancy  and  swaying  a  little  to 

37 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

get  her  balance.  "Isn't  this  the  loveliest  place  ? 
I  hope  you  didn't  mind  my  calling  down  to  you, 
but  you  see  I've  only  a  minute  to  stay,  and  I  felt 
as  if  I  must,  simply  must  get  down  to  the  very  tip 
end  of  things  !  I  could  have  found  the  way  my- 
self, but  I  hadn't  the  time  to  poke  around." 

As  she  spoke,  she  pushed  the  sandy  locks  back 
from  her  freckled  brown  face  and  turned  it  toward 
Nancy,  and  then  Nancy  saw  that  the  strange  girl's 
eyes  were  brown  too,  and  that  they  were  the 
biggest,  brightest,  most  beautiful  eyes  that  she  had 
ever  seen.  They  flamed  with  life,  they  danced 
with  happiness,  and  their  sparkling,  flashing 
radiance  called  to  Nancy  as  plainly  as  if  the  words 
had  been  shouted  in  her  ear.  "  Let's  be  happy 
together  I  "  said  those  bright,  brown  eyes.  "  I  like 
you,  and  you'll  like  me.  Isn't  this  a  wonderful, 
beautiful  world ! " 

Without  an  instant's  hesitation  Nancy  answered 
the  eyes.  "  If  you  can't  stay  long,  come  first  and 
look  at  some  sea-anemones  that  I've  just  discovered, 
and  then  perhaps  we  can  find  starfish  out  in  that 
biggest  pool.  But  the  anemones  are  much  rarer." 

"  Oh,  I  never  hoped  to  see  anything  half  so 
lovely  !  "  sighed  the  strange  girl,  creeping  after 
Nancy  down  to  the  favorite  pool.  "  Oh,  the 
dears  I "  The  wonderful  eyes  grew  softer  and 
brighter.  "  May  I  really  touch  them  ?  I've 

38 


E7ERTTHING'S    SPOILED! 

never  been  to  the  seashore  before,  you  see,  and  I 
find  it  all  so  fascinating.  I  suppose  you  come 
every  summer  and  can  wander  all  day  long  on  the 
rocks." 

Nancy  explained  her  status  at  Halcyon,  point- 
ing out  the  location  of  "  The  Crags  "  and  adding 
her  name. 

"  Mine  is  Hope  Haskins,"  the  little  brown  girl 
explained  in  her  turn.  "  I  live  in  Vermont  at  a 
place  called  Sherwin  Corners.  It's  not  really  a 
town,  just  a  few  houses.  And  here,  I'm  at  the 
Inn,  waiting  on  table.  I  just  love  being  here  I  " 
The  brown  eyes  flamed  into  sudden  rapture.  "  I 
love  the  sea,  and  the  Inn  is  so  pretty,  and  the 
ladies  who  stay  there  wear  such  lovely  clothes. 
And  I  think  I'm  going  to  like  being  at  *  The  Sign 
of  the  Dolphin'  almost  the  best  of  all." 

"  What  is  it  that  you  like  best  ?  "  asked  Nancy 
curiously. 

"  Oh,  don't  you  know  ?  "  The  eyes  were  pools 
of  rapture.  "  Then  I  can  help  by  telling  you,  and 
that  will  repay  Miss  Willis  for  letting  me  off  early 
to-day.  People  have  to  know  about  it,  you  see — 
lots  of  people — or  it  won't  be  a  success.  '  The 
Sign  of  the  Dolphin '  is  a  shop  where  you  can 
have  tea  and  buy  all  sorts  of  pretty  things.  It's 
over  the  other  side  of  the  golf  course,  and  there 
are  signs  along  the  road  to  help  you  find  it.  Will 

39 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

you  come  there  soon,  and  will  you  tell  your  friends 
to  come  ?  It's  a  sweet  little  shop." 

Nancy  promised.  "When  are  you  there?  I'd 
rather  come  then." 

"  Oh,  thank  you  for  that !  "  cried  Hope  Haskins 
joyously.  "  I'm  there  Tuesday,  Thursday,  and  Sat- 
urday afternoons,  from  two  until  almost  five. 
Those  are  my  afternoons  off  at  the  Inn,  you  see.  I 
have  to  be  back  by  five  to  set  my  tables,  but  it 
only  takes  a  minute  to  go,  if  you  run." 

"  But  if  you  work  at  this  shop  on  your  after- 
noons off,  when  can  you  come  out  on  the  rocks?  " 
inquired  Nancy  earnestly.  "  Do  you  have  some 
mornings  off  too  ?  " 

The  brown  eyes  grew  sorrowful.  "  Oh,  no,  morn- 
ings are  fearfully  busy.  I  can  come  just  at  odd 
times  like  this,  and  on  one  whole  Sunday  a 
month.  I'm  praying  that  it  won't  rain  on  any  of 
my  Sundays.  I  did  hate  to  give  up  the  afternoons, 
but  you  see  there's  all  that  extra  money.  I  want 
the  extra  money  more  than  anything." 

11  Oh,  yes,"  said  Nancy  vaguely,  not  knowing 
what  else  to  say  without  appearing  either  indiffer- 
ent or  curious. 

"  For  college,  you  know,"  explained  Hope,  her 
eyes  flaming  again  with  eagerness.  "  With  the 
extra  money  from  Miss  Willis  I'm  almost  sure 
that  I  can  go  this  fall.  Oh,  I'm  afraid  I've  talked 

40 


EVERTTHING'S   SPOILED! 

to  you  too  long !  I  mustn't  be  late  back,  because 
that  wouldn't  be  fair." 

Nancy  consulted  her  wrist-watch.  "  You  can 
get  to  the  Inn  by  five,  if  you  hurry  a  little.  I'll 
show  you  the  easiest  way  back  to  the  road.  And 
some  day  I  hope  we  can  have  another  talk." 

"Really?  Oh,  thank  you  for  that!"  The 
brown  eyes  danced  with  delight.  "  And  you 
mustn't  pity  me  too  much  for  having  to  hurry 
home.  Each  time  that  I  have  to  rush  away  from 
the  moor  and  the  rocks,  after  just  a  tantalizing 
glimpse  of  them — like  to-day — I  console  myself 
by  thinking  how  much  more  I  love  it  all  than  I 
should,  maybe,  if  I  could  stay  as  long  as  I  liked 
and  see  everything  that  I  want  to.  Now," — she 
waved  back  at  the  Reef, — "  I  feel  as  if  I'd  left  all 
sorts  of  beautiful  mysteries  behind." 

"  I  should  just  feel  as  if  I  wanted  dreadfully  to 
stay  longer,"  said  practical  Nancy. 

"  Oh,  then  you  don't  understand  I  "  Hope  faced 
her  firmly.  "  It's  like — why,  it's  like  this  little 
glimpse  we  two  have  had  of  each  other.  We've 
very  likely  had  a  much  better  time — a  more  thrill- 
ing time — because  it's  been  so  short,  and  because 
we've  left  so  much  over.  You  think,  maybe,  that 
you  haven't  discovered  all  the  things  in  me  that 
you'd  like,  and  I'm  sure  I  haven't  in  you." 

"  Oh,  so  am  I  sure  about  you,"  declared  Nancy 

41 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

earnestly,  smiling  straight  into  the  glad  brown 
eyes. 

The  causeway  in  sight,  Hope  held  out  her  little 
brown  hand  in  farewell.  "  I'm  all  right  now. 
Don't  you  waste  a  minute  more  away  from  the 
pools  and  the  spray.  And  do  come  soon  to  '  The 
Sign  of  the  Dolphin.'  " 

Nancy  watched  the  little  figure  hopping  from 
stone  to  stone  on  its  way  to  the  mainland,  swaying 
and  slipping  uncertainly  because  of  the  smooth- 
soled  shoes.  A  nondescript  little  figure,  rather 
dumpy  and  altogether  without  distinction,  until 
you  saw  those  shining  eyes.  Nancy  considered ; 
this  was  Tuesday ;  on  Thursday  she  would  go  to 
"The  Sign  of  the  Dolphin."  Meanwhile,  it 
looked  rather  bleak  and  lonely  out  on  the  Reef, 
and  yet  she  longed  for  one  last  look  at  the  anem- 
ones. The  tide  was  rising  now,  and  the  spray 
dashed  up  gloriously  against  the  lower  rocks  of  the 
Reef.  Nancy  lingered  on  and  on,  for  just  one 
more  big  wave,  and  then  for  just  one  more. 

Compared  to  their  other  house,  "  The  Crags  " 
was  no  distance  at  all  from  Baxter's ;  but  when 
Nancy  finally  turned  a  resolute  back  on  the  fasci- 
nating surf,  dinner  time  was  perilously  near,  and 
the  causeway,  which  at  high  tide  was  often  im- 
passable, was  getting  very  watery  indeed.  Who 
cared  ?  Wet  rocks  and  slimy  seaweed  had  no 

42 


EFERTTHING'S    SPOILED! 

terrors  for  rubber-shod  climbers,  particularly  if 
they  also  possessed  Nancy  Lee's  happy-go-lucky 
nature.  However,  that  very  big  pool  spreading 
across  the  middle  of  the  causeway  must  be  some- 
how avoided.  Her  eyes  far  ahead  of  her  steps, 
her  hungry  thoughts  on  dinner,  with  a  tennis 
match  to  follow,  and  perhaps  an  evening  call  on 
the  girls  next  door, — who  wouldn't  be  half  so  fas- 
cinating as  brown-eyed  Hope  Haskins, — Nancy 
Lee  stubbed  her  toe  as  she  started  down  the  last 
steep  pitch  from  the  Reef  to  the  causeway  level, 
lost  her  balance,  careered  down  over  a  dampish, 
slippery  stone,  and  landed  in  a  shaken,  bunchy 
heap  on  a  patch  of  wet  sand. 

"  Clumsy  !  "  Nancy  apostrophized  herself,  dis- 
entangling her  muddied  shirts  from  around  her 
feet.  "O-ouch!" 

Instead  of  scrambling  up  as  she  intended,  Nancy 
sank  back  again,  this  time  in  a  very  abject,  white- 
faced,  frightened  heap  indeed.  After  a  minute's 
rest,  she  hitched  alongside  a  big  stone,  and  hang- 
ing to  it  with  both  hands  tried  again  to  stand  up. 
But  before  she  had  fairly  pulled  herself  erect,  she 
sat  abruptly  back  on  the  big  stone. 

"  I've  done  it  now  ! "  said  Nancy  Lee  to  the 
rocks,  the  sea,  and  the  distant  moorland. 

A  little  wave  plopped  saucily  up  over  the  soft 
sand  at  Nancy's  feet. 

43 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  In  a  minute  I  shall  be  all  right,"  Nancy  Lee 
announced  loudly  to  the  dusking  landscape.  Say- 
ing this  made  her  feel  as  if  it  might  be  true,  and 
she  certainly  needed  all  possible  aid  toward  keeping 
up  her  courage  and  ignoring  a  horrid,  sickening 
pain  in  her  right  ankle.  This  pain  made  her  feel 
rather  faint,  so  she  bent  forward  a  little,  as  she  had 
been  taught  one  should  do  under  such  circum- 
stances at  the  First  Aid  classes  held  by  Timmy's 
nurse  at  Fair  Oaks  School,  and  clutched  hard  at 
the  rock  she  was  sitting  on.  Hanging  on  tight  had 
not  been  mentioned  in  the  First  Aid  classes,  but  it 
certainly  did  help  you  not  to  want  to  cry  out. 

"Somebody  will  be  along  in  a  few  minutes,"  de- 
clared Nancy  Lee  with  assurance.  "  Surf  Road  is 
always  full  of  people  on  a  lovely  day  like  this.  I 
could  walk  if  somebody  would  just  help  me  a  little 
about  starting." 

Except  when  Nancy  Lee  broke  it  to  soliloquize, 
the  silence  of  Baxter's  Reef  was  oppressive.  The 
wind  was  sinking  with  the  sun,  and  the  roar  of  the 
surf  had  softened  to  a  padding  thud.  But  the  tide 
was  rising  fast.  As  a  matter  of  course  now,  the 
waves  splashed  softly  over  the  strip  of  sand  around 
Nancy's  seat.  She  hitched  along  on  her  rock  and 
managed  to  find  a  dry  niche  half-way  up  it  for  her 
feet  to  rest  on.  Where  were  all  the  people  who 
ought  to  be  out  walking  or  driving  in  the  cool 

44 


EFERTTHING'S    SPOILED! 

of  the  afternoon?  A  crowd  of  them  must  come 
in  sight  in  a  minute. 

"  They'll  be  sure  to  hear  me  over  on  the  road," 
Nancy  assured  herself  earnestly.  "  It's  not  far 
across — only  I  should  like  to  get  over  there  while 

the  going's  good,  as  Dick  says.  This  tide " 

She  broke  off  to  call  loudly  as  a  motor  whizzed 
unexpectedly  by  on  the  road ;  but  its  occupants 
paid  not  the  slightest  heed  to  Nancy's  shouting. 

"  Next  time  I'll  call  '  Help,'  "  she  decided,  and 
she  did,  but  what  with  the  sea,  now  getting  noisy 
again,  the  chug  of  the  motor,  and  their  own  gay 
talk  and  laughter,  this  motor  party,  too,  heard 
nothing. 

Then  two  women  strolled  past  along  the  road, 
and  again  Nancy's  cry  for  help  went  unregarded. 
The  road  was  really  a  long  way  off,  with  high 
bushes  edging  the  bank  that  dropped  off  toward 
the  Reef ;  and  the  wind  was  wrong. 

"  If  I  can't  walk,  I've  just  got  to  crawl,"  de- 
claimed Nancy  rather  shakily,  and  set  about  doing 
it.  If  she  could  get  to  the  road  before  dark,  some 
rescuer  would  surely  appear  ! 

Crawling  over  wet  rocks  is  a  slow  and  absorb- 
ing process.  Nancy  kept  at  it  for  some  minutes, 
till  her  skirts  were  wringing  wet  and  her  knees 
much  the  worse  for  wear,  while  the  road  was  not 
appreciably  nearer.  In  trying  to  stand  up  and 

45 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

pick  the  best  way  around  the  pool  that  had  flooded 
the  middle  of  the  causeway,  she  wrenched  her  bad 
ankle  painfully.  When  she  sat  down  again  to  rest 
it,  a  big  salt  tear  splashed  down  to  join  a  big 
wave,  which  caught  Nancy  unprepared  and  soaked 
her  to  her  waist.  With  a  sudden  realization  that 
her  plight  was  really  serious,  Nancy  picked  up  a 
piece  of  driftwood  to  use  as  a  cane  and  in  spite  of 
the  almost  unbearable  pain  it  cost  her,  limped  for- 
ward toward  the  mainland.  Her  head  down  the 
better  to  breast  the  waves,  her  senses  dulled  by  the 
throbbing  pain,  her  mind  intent  on  one  thing — to 
get  beyond  the  reach  of  this  black,  rushing  water 
that  deepened  around  her  every  minute — she 
neither  saw  nor  heard  the  approach  of  a  fellow- 
traveler. 

A  boy  had  turned  off  the  shore  road  and  paused 
a  moment  on  the  Reef  path  to  stare  down  at  the 
half  inundated  causeway.  Then,  whistling  gaily, 
he  ran  briskly  forward  to  the  water's  edge  and  be- 
gan a  reckless,  tumultuous  progress,  marked  by 
leaps  and  bounds  that  carried  him  dry-shod  along 
the  watery  pathway,  his  only  pauses  being  just  the 
length  of  a  swiftly  appraising  glance  to  measure 
the  direction  of  the  big  reef. 

Just  before  he  reached  Nancy,  his  foot  set  a  loose 
stone  noisily  flying,  and  Nancy,  straightening 
laboriously,  saw  him  coming. 

46 


EVERYTHING'S    SPOILED! 

"  Oh  !  "  she  cried,  in  an  involuntary  sigh  of  relief. 

Her  exclamation  gave  the  sure-footed  boy  such 
a  start  that  he  lost  his  footing  and  stumbled  igno- 
miniously  into  the  big  pool,  whence  he  stood,  knee- 
deep  in  the  water  and  hatless,  staring  amazedly  at 
the  rumpled,  soaked,  wind-blown,  white-faced  girl, 
hanging  desperately  to  a  weather-worn  stick  of 
wood  and  staring  forlornly  back  at  him  from 
behind  a  tangle  of  damp  yellow  curls. 

For  a  minute  the  two  stared  in  amazed  silence. 
Then,  "Pardon  me!"  said  the  boy,  who  was  a 
pleasant-faced,  manly-looking  fellow,  about  Dick's 
age  ;  and  blushing  furiously  at  having,  as  he  would 
have  expressed  it,  "  run  down  "  a  strange  girl,  he 
stooped  for  his  cap,  flicked  the  water  off  the  rough 
green  cloth,  jammed  it  back  on  his  bare  head,  and 
started  off  again  faster  than  ever. 

"  Oh,  please ! "  begged  Nancy  swiftly,  "  oh, 
please  will  you  help  me  a  little  ?  I've  hurt  my 
ankle  and  I'm  trying  to  get  back  to  the  road.  It's 
awfully  hard  work  going  over  these  wet  stones." 

Without  hesitation  the  boy  wheeled,  and  blush- 
ing harder  than  ever  faced  Nancy.  "  What  a 
mess  !  "  he  said  cheerfully.  He  pulled  off  his  wet 
cap,  shook  it  again,  and  then  carefully  wiped  off  a 
tiny  green  feather  that  was  stuck  in  the  band. 
"  Crickets  !  "  He  surveyed  the  darkening  land- 
scape anxiously.  "  There's  nobody  else  you  can 

47 


N4NCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

ask,  is  there  ?  You  see  I — it's  not  that  I  wouldn't 
be  glad  to  help  you,  only  there's  a  reason  why  I — 
prefer  that  you'd  ask  some  one  else." 

"  But  how  can  I  ? "  demanded  Nancy  desper- 
ately. "  Nobody  else  came.  Nobody  up  on  the 
road  heard."  Pride  suddenly  overwhelmed  her. 
"  But  I  can  go  on  alone  perfectly  well,"  she  as- 
sured him  coldly.  "  Please  don't  trouble.  Please 
go  on  to  wherever  you  were  going." 

"  Shucks  !  "  said  the  boy.  "  Of  course  I'll  help 

you  back.  I  only  thought — I  only  meant 

But  as  it  is,  I'm  bound  to  help  you.  Nobody 
could  expect  me  not  to.  Oh,  I  knew  we  couldn't 
keep  it  up  I  We're  not  the  kind  to  keep  it  up." 

"  What  did  you  say  ? "  asked  Nancy,  a  little 
frightened  at  his  incoherence.  "  I  don't  believe  I 
understood." 

"  Oh,  I  was  only  talking  to  myself,"  explained 
the  boy  with  a  sigh.  "  I've  got  the  habit  lately." 
He  smiled  a  friendly  smile  at  Nancy.  "  Now, 
how  am  I  to  help  ? "  he  demanded,  once  more 
putting  on  the  damp  green  cap  and  facing  her 
with  businesslike  alertness. 

"  Oh,  not  at  all,  please,"  begged  Nancy  who, 
having  prepared  to  swallow  her  pride,  was  now 
remembering  all  mother's  warnings  against  speak- 
ing to  strange  men.  This  boy  looked  nice,  but  his 
talk  was  certainly  queer  and  rambling.  "  Please 

48 


EVERTTHING'S    SPOILED 

go  on,"  she  besought  him  earnestly,  trying  not  to 
act  as  frightened  and  miserable  as  she  felt. 

"  Oh,  shucks !  "  repeated  the  boy  pleasantly. 
"  You  mustn't  mind  what  I  said.  Of  course  I 
want  to  help  you,  and  I'm  going  to,  too.  Only  I 
can't  without  talking  to  you,  and  that's — well,  I 
simply  can't  explain.  But  I'll  tell  you  one  thing. 
At  high  tide  this  is  going  to  be  a  very  wet  spot, 
and  high  tide  isn't  far  off.  The  longer  we  delay, 
the  worse  everything  will  get — everything,  includ- 
ing your  ankle,"  he  concluded  with  decision. 
"So  we'd  better  just  get  started." 

"  All  right,"  agreed  Nancy  weakly. 

The  boy  nodded  approval.  "  Now  how  shall 
we  work  it  ?  Take  my  arm,  so.  No,  I'd  better 
take  your  arm.  Try  putting  a  hand  on  my 
shoulder.  Then,  if  I  steady  you,  you  can  sort 
of  hop  along,  mostly  on  your  well  foot.  We  can't 
bother  about  keeping  entirely  out  of  the  water, 
I'm  afraid.  I  say,  I'll  bet  that  foot  hurts  you 
pretty  badly.  Whenever  you  want  to  rest,  just 
say  so." 

They  made  the  road  in  three  laps,  as  the  boy 
called  the  three  stages  of  the  journey  between 
halts  for  rest.  And  when  they  had  climbed  the 
path,  and  Nancy  was  sitting  down  once  more,  this 
time  on  a  comfortable  dry  stone  by  the  side  of 
Surf  Road,  the  boy,  looking  back,  announced  that 

49 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

the  water  was  at  least  waist-high  out  where  he 
and  Nancy  had  joined  forces. 

11  So  I  shan't  go  back  there  to-night,  thank 
you,"  he  announced  cheerfully.  "  I'd  planned 
to  get  out  just  before  high  tide  and  come  back 
by  the  light  of  my  trusty  lantern  " — he  displayed 
a  tiny  electric  "  bug-light " — "  about  nine  o'clock. 
I  liked  the  idea  of  being  caught  by  the  tide  after 
dark — on  purpose." 

"  I'm  sorry "  began  Nancy. 

"Shucks!  I  can  do  it  just  as  well  to-morrow, 
can't  I?  "  broke  in  the  boy.  "  Now  where  do  you 
live?" 

Nancy  explained.  "  If  you'd  just  telephone  my 
family  when  you  get  home,  I  should  be  very  grate- 
ful to  you.  I  don't  believe  I  can  walk  any  far- 
ther, and  besides,  I  don't  wish  to  trouble  you  any 
more  than  I've  had  to  already."  Nancy  tried  to 
combine  dignity  with  gratitude. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  boy  briskly.  "  If  that's 
what  you  want,  I'll  do  it.  I  hope  you're  not  laid 
up  for  long  with  your  sprain.  Good-bye."  Sud- 
denly he  wheeled  and  came  back  to  Nancy. 
"  Sure  you're  not  afraid  to  stay  alone  ? "  he  de- 
manded. "  It's  getting  sort  of  dusky.  You'd 
better  keep  my  bug-light  in  case  of  accidents." 

"  Oh,  no,"  demurred  Nancy.  "  They  won't  be 
long  coming.  I'm  all  right,  truly  I  am." 

50 


EFERTTHING'S    SPOILED! 

"  Just  the  same,  I'll  bet  that  ankle  is  aching 
like  a  house  afire.  If  you  weren't  an  awfully 
good  sport,  you'd  be  weeping  or  fainting  away  or 
some  other  such  girl's  doings.  I  say, — your 
idea's  no  go.  I'm  going  to  do  this  the  quickest 
way  I  can,  to  suit  myself.  I  won't  be  a  minute." 

Too  faint  and  dizzy  to  care  what  he  meant  or  to 
notice  which  way  he  was  going,  Nancy  sat  on  her 
stone  in  a  daze  of  frightened,  throbbing  misery. 
Nobody  came  by ;  nothing  happened ;  surely  it 
was  ages  and  ages  and  ages,  as  little  Sarah  used  to 
say  at  school,  before  there  was  a  brisk  hail  down  the 
road,  and  the  boy  turned  a  curveting  bay  horse, 
hitched  to  a  trim  road-cart,  up  to  Nancy's  stone. 

"There!  How's  this  for  a  hurry  call?"  he  de- 
manded triumphantly.  Evidently  he  thought, 
poor  fellow,  that  he  had  been  quick  I  "  You  see," 
he  went  on,  "  we  live  so  near,  and  I  knew  Lady'd 
be  all  hitched  in,  ready  to  go  to  town  for  the  even- 
ing papers,  so  I  disregarded  your  suggestion — 
that  is,  I  had  your  family  notified  that  you'd  be 
along  in  a  few  minutes.  Hope  you  don't  mind 
my  coming  back  for  you.  Lady's  pretty  fresh. 
I'm  afraid  you'll  have  to  climb  in  somehow,  while 
I  try  to  hold  her  quiet.  Oh,  I'll  bet  that  hurt !  " 
as  a  sudden  side-step  of  Lady's  threw  Nancy  hard 
down  on  the  lame  ankle.  "  But  it's  all  plain  sail- 
ing now.  Where  do  you  live  ?  Yes, '  The  Crags  ' ; 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

but  remember  I  don't  know  where  anything  is 
here.  Just  tell  me  which  turns  to  make,  as  we 
come  to  them.  I  am  certainly  sorry  that  Lady 
jumped  at  the  wrong  minute.  Now  please  to 
keep  on  being  the  best  sport  ever,  and  don't  faint 
or  anything  like  that,  till  I  get  you  home." 

Mr.  Lee  was  standing  in  the  gate  of  "  The  Crags  " 
watching  for  them.  Nancy  smiled  at  him  faintly. 
"  If  you  could  help  me  out !  I've  done  some- 
thing  " 

"  You'd  better  just  carry  her  in,"  advised  the 
boy  calmly.  "  She's  been  very  plucky,  but  she's 
about  done  for  now." 

Mrs.  Lee  came  out  to  thank  Nancy's  rescuer. 
"  It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  bring  my  daughter 
home,  and  you  were  very  thoughtful  to  prepare  us 
for  her  arrival.  I  suppose  you're  one  of  my  boy 
Dick's  friends.  I'm  very  bad  at  remembering  faces." 

The  boy  stared  non-committally  back  at  her. 
"  No,"  he  said,  "  I'm  a  stranger  here.  I  just 
happened  to  be  around.  I — got  into  it  that  way. 
And  now  I  must  be  going.  They'll  want  Lady. 
And  besides " 

"  Come  and  see  us,"  Mrs.  Lee  urged  hospitably, 
as  the  bay  horse  started.  "We're  very  grateful. 
Won't  you  tell  me  your " 

"  You're  quite  welcome,  I'm  sure,"  cut  in  the 
boy  curtly,  and  off  he  went  at  a  smart  trot. 

52 


EFERTTHING'S    SPOILED! 

"  Crickets  I  I  knew  we'd  never  pull  it  off,"  he 
muttered  as  he  whirled  into  the  crossroad.  "  I 
told  her  we  weren't  cut  out  for  hermits.  What  a 
mess  !  Well,  I  certainly  couldn't  help  it.  I  never 
can.  Neither  can  she.  That's  the  whole  trouble." 
And  he  lapsed  into  gloomy  silence. 

"  It's  a  very  bad  sprain.  You'll  be  laid  up  for 
some  time,  young  woman,"  said  the  doctor  unfeel- 
ingly, giving  Nancy's  ankle  a  final  pat  and  picking 
up  his  medicine-bag. 

"How  long  is  some  time?"  demanded  Nancy 
tremulously. 

"  Oh,  a  month  or  six  weeks,  I  should  say. 
Good-night.  I'll  look  in  to-morrow." 

Nancy  didn't  want  any  dinner.  She  didn't 
feel  like  talking.  She  refused  mother's  suggestion 
about  reading  aloud.  The  Red  Journal  was  on 
the  table  by  her  bed.  She  reached  for  it,  dated  a 
new  page,  and  straight  across  it  in  a  bold  hand  she 
wrote : 

"  Everything's  spoiled. — N.  LEE." 

All  through  a  sleepless,  feverish,  tossing,  miser- 
able night  she  kept  saying  it  over  to  herself: 
"  EverythingVspoiled,  spoiled,  spoiled.  My  lovely 
summer,  all  the  things  I'd  planned,  all  my  help- 
ing mother,  all  my  fun,  the  twins'  visit, — spoiled, 
spoiled,  spoiled.  Everything's  spoiled  I  " 


53 


CHAPTER  III 

"  YOU    BE  ON  THE  LOOKOUT  !  " 

THE  little  brown  bird,  singing  gaily  in  Nancy's 
cedar-tree,  roused  her  from  a  troubled  nap  the  next 
morning.  Such  a  gorgeous  day !  Father  and 
Dick  were  down  on  the  piazza  already,  eating  an 
early  breakfast  before  their  morning  fishing  trip. 
Bouncings  and  bumpings  from  Josephine's  room 
announced  that  that  noisy  young  lady  was  hurry- 
ing through  her  toilette,  preparatory  to  joining  the 
sailors.  Something  was  on  Nancy's  mind — a  vague 
weight  of  un happiness  left,  perhaps,  from  a  bad 
dream.  Something  disagreeable  seemed  to  be  hang- 
ing over  her.  It  couldn't  be  anything  real 

Oh,  but  it  was  I  Nancy  buried  her  hot  face  in  her 
hot  pillow  and  wept.  That  was  how  mother  found 
her,  when  she  came  up  with  breakfast  and  a  bunch 
of  dewy  white  irises,  as  lovely  as  orchids,  from  the 
Birdcage  bed. 

"  I  c-can't  help  it !  "  sobbed  Nancy.  "  I  c-can't 
stand  it  to  stick  around  here  for  s-s-six  weeks  I 
No,  my  ankle  doesn't  h-h-h-urt  at  all.  I  know  I 
could  walk  on  it.  That  doctor  isn't  any  good  at 

54 


«rOt/   BE    ON    THE    LOOKOUT/' 

all  I  Oh,  mother,  I  never  was  so  unhappy  in  my 
whole  life  I " 

Mother  consoled  and  sympathized,  and  finally 
resorted  to  a  gentle  scolding,  which  dried  Nancy's 
tears  and  left  her  silent,  sulky,  and  unresponsive. 
No,  she  did  not  want  the  Spoiled  Kitten  on  the 
bed  with  her.  The  collie  must  be  sent  outdoors, 
where  he  belonged.  Of  course  Dick  was  not  to 
give  up  his  sailing  lesson  with  Captain  Baker  to 
stay  and  teach  her  a  new  solitaire.  She  hated 
solitaire,  and  Bill  and  Joe  chattered  and  ran  about 
so  that  they  tired  her  head.  The  doctor  came, 
and  at  sight  of  him  Nancy  wept  afresh,  whereupon 
he  patted  her  shoulder  comfortingly,  and  promised 
to  send  out  a  nurse  to  bathe  and  rub  and  bandage 
the  injured  ankle. 

Under  any  other  circumstances  Nancy  would 
have  been  tremendously  interested  in  Nurse 
Marston,  who  came  from  Nova  Scotia,  looked 
adorably  pretty  in  her  starched  blue  and  white 
uniform,  and  was  very  jolly  and  talkative,  pre- 
pared to  amuse  her  sad  young  patient  with  merry 
badinage  or  romantic  tales  of  Evangeline's  land, 
according  to  taste.  But  Nancy  received  jokes  and 
stories  alike  in  glum,  forbidding  silence,  and 
Nurse  Marston,  being  very  young  and  not  partic- 
ularly patient,  privately  decided  that  her  charge 
was  extremely  ill-tempered,  and  after  the  first 

55 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

few  visits  confined  her  ministrations  strictly  to 
bathing,  rubbing,  and  bandaging,  according  to 
orders. 

"  Suppose  I  ask  Louise  Minot  to  come  and  see 
you,"  suggested  mother  on  the  fourth  day  of 
Nancy's  captivity. 

Mr.  Lee  had  left  for  home  that  morning,  and 
before  his  departure  he  had  summoned  Dick, 
William,  and  Josephine  to  the  Birdcage  for  a 
fatherly  talk.  They  must  remember,  he  urged, 
that  their  mother  was  quite  worn  out  already,  and 
they  must  help  her  in  any  way  they  could.  It 
was  not  Nancy's  fault  that  instead  of  being  a  help 
she  was  an  added  burden  on  mother's  shoulders. 
The  others,  and  particularly  Dick,  who  was  the 
man  of  the  house  in  his  father's  absence,  must  see 
to  it  that  this  burden  should  rest  as  lightly  as 
possible.  It  was  their  business,  not  mother's,  to 
entertain  Nancy.  They  must  divide  up  the  time, 
sacrificing  some  pleasures,  and  trying  hard  to 
make  the  days  shorter  for  poor  Nancy,  and  as  full 
as  possible  of  rest  and  recreation  for  mother. 
Otherwise, — Mr.  Lee  shook  his  head  soberly. 

"  We  couldn't  get  on  without  mother,"  he  said. 
"  We  must  all  look  out  for  her  in  every  possible 
way.  Nancy  feels  this.  It  accounts  for  her  being 
so  blue — the  regret  that  she  can't  offer  the  help 
that  mother  had  hoped  for  from  her." 

56 


"rot/   BE    ON    THE    LOOKOUT!' 

"  Nancy  said  she  cried  'cause  she  can't  play 
tennis,"  interposed  the  accurate  Josephine. 

"  Oh,  well,  girls  cry  about  lots  of  things,"  an- 
nounced conciliatory  William.  "  But  we'll  amuse 
her.  Maybe  mother'll  let  us  sit  up  longer,  now 
we've  got  to  help." 

As  a  result  of  this  family  conference,  Josephine 
had  nobly  deprived  herself  of  seeing  her  father  off 
at  the  station,  and  now,  after  luncheon,  Dick  was 
taking  his  turn,  trying  hard  to  keep  his  mind  on 
cribbage,  while  his  eyes  wandered  off  to  the  sparkly 
waters  of  the  bay.  They  were  having  yacht  races 
out  there,  and  Captain  Baker  had  promised  to  take 
Dick  out  to  see  the  finish.  Perhaps,  if  Billy  re- 
membered to  come  back  for  his  turn,  promptly  at 
four 

"  Your  game,"  said  Dick  briskly,  as  if  he  had 
no  thoughts  for  anything  beyond  the  cribbage 
board.  "  And  that  finishes  the  rubber  of  rubbers. 
If  you  did  want  to  see  Louise  Minot,  Sis,  I  could 
leave  word  at  the  Inn  when  I  go  down  to  the 
captain's  wharf." 

"  I  don't.     She's  no  fun,"  said  sulky  Nancy. 

Mother  and  Dick  exchanged  discouraged  glances. 

"  Suppose  I  went  to  call  next  door,  and  asked 
the  girls  there  to  come  over  ?  "  suggested  Mrs.  Lee 
pleasantly.  "  They're  strangers,  and  I  think 

they'd  enjoy " 

57 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Nancy  shook  her  curly  head.  "  No.  I  couldn't 
think  of  anything  to  say  to  strange  girls.  Besides, 
it's  hot  and  stuffy  up  here.  They'd  hate  having 
to  be  indoors.  I  met  Charlotte  Carter  yesterday 
and  she  told  me  their  names  :  Alexandra  and 
Cecilia.  They  sound  awfully  fussy  and  stuck  up." 

"  They  look  jolly,"  said  Dick,  his  longing  eyes 
fixed  on  the  rippling  sea. 

"  Well,  I  don't  want  them."  Nancy's  lips  set 
in  a  disagreeable  line.  "  I  don't  want  anybody." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,"  suggested  Dick,  spurred  on 
to  tremendous  efforts  by  the  sight  of  the  dis- 
couraged droop  of  mother's  shoulders.  "  I  know 
what'll  amuse  you, — as  soon  as  your  crutches 
come,  and  you  can  hop  down-stairs.  I'll  hunt  up 
the  Green  Knight  and  see  if  I  can't  get  him  over 
here  for  tennis,  followed  by  a  polite  call  on  the 
invalid." 

"  The  Green  Knight  ?  "  queried  Nancy  listlessly. 

"  Father  called  your  rescuer  that,"  explained 
mother.  "  Don't  you  remember  I  told  you  how 
he  ran  off  without  even  giving  us  his  name  ?  So 
we  christened  him  after  his  green  cap,  with  the 
tiny  green  feather  in  it."  She  turned  to  Dick. 
"  I  wish  you  would  hunt  him  up,  son.  I  want  to 
thank  him  a  little  more  formally  for  all  his  kind- 
ness. I  can't  bear  to  think  of  what  might  have 
happened  if  he  hadn't  come  along  when  he  did." 

58 


«rOC7   BE    ON    THE    LOOKOUT/' 

"  He  certainly  was  the  queerest  boy,"  said  Nancy, 
just  a  little  interested  at  last.  "He  said  such 
funny  things,  and  then  he  wouldn't  explain  them." 

"  Not  all  there,  maybe,"  suggested  Dick,  tapping 
his  forehead  significantly. 

"Oh,  Dick!"  Nancy  was  quite  indignant. 
"  He  was  as  bright  as — as  you  are,  and  a  splendid 
climber,  and  most  of  the  time  he  was  talkative  and 
jolly.  He  couldn't  have  been  nicer,  except  just 
at  first.  I  told  you  what  he  said  as  nearly  as  I 
could  remember." 

Dick  nodded.  "  Well,  he  was  queer  again  just 
at  the  last.  No  reason  at  all  for  a  nice  jolly  boy 
to  have  been  so  stuffy  with  mother.  You  don't 
know  where  he  lives  ? " 

Nancy  did  not.  "  Only  it's  very  near  Baxter's 
Reef — nearer  than  we  are." 

"  Queer,"  mused  Dick.  "  I  haven't  seen  him 
since  that  night.  He  doesn't  seem  to  go  swim- 
ming or  sailing  with  the  crowd,  and  he  never  loafs 
around  with  the  other  fellows  that  belong  on  the 
Point.  I've  asked  lots  of  'em  if  they  know  him. 
Nobody  has  as  much  as  set  eyes  on  any  one  of  his 
description " 

"  Well,  you'll  have  to  look  up  the  mysterious 
Green  Knight,"  said  mother  cheerfully,  grateful 
for  the  faint  spark  of  interest  that  the  subject  had 
evoked  from  her  moody  daughter.  "  In  the  mean- 

59 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

time,  Dick,  run  along  to  your  boat-races.  As 
Nancy  can't  think  of  anybody  she  wants  a  visit 
from,  why,  we  two  will  do  our  best  to  amuse  each 
other." 

"  No  indeed."  Dick's  air  of  responsibility  was 
comical.  "  You're  to  have  a  nap  and  a  walk 
every  afternoon,  madam.  Doctor's  orders  and 
mine.  I'm  going  out  later,  perhaps.  These  races 
don't  amount  to  much." 

11  All  the  same,"  Nancy  informed  him  rather 
crossly,  "  you're  dying  to  be  out  watching  them. 
You  didn't  half  count  your  cribs,  you  were  so 
busy  looking  out  the  window.  So  go  along,  and 
you  too,  mother.  I  shall  take  a  nap."  Nancy 
tossed  two  extra  pillows  on  a  chair,  readjusted 
the  one  remaining,  and  summarily  closed  the  ar- 
gument by  turning  her  face  to  the  wall.  She  had 
not  taken  a  daytime  nap  since  her  baby  days,  and 
hitherto,  since  her  accident,  she  had  irritably  re- 
fused even  to  try  that  method  of  passing  the  time. 
She  had  no  intention  of  trying  now.  As  soon  as 
Dick  had  gone  and  mother's  door  was  safely  closed, 
she  would  put  back  her  extra  pillows  and  read. 
The  doctor  had  told  her  not  to  use  her  eyes  very 
much,  and  she  had  already  spent  most  of  the 
morning  over  a  book,  to  avoid  playing  parchesi,  a 
game  which  she  particularly  disliked,  with  Jo- 
sephine, who  adored  it.  But  who  cared  for  that? 

60 


«rOC7   BE    ON    THE    LOOKOUT!' 

Nancy  Lee  certainly  had  no  idea  of  bothering 
about  an  incapable  doctor's  silly  notions. 

However,  before  she  could  safely  begin  to  read, 
she  had  to  wait  while  Dick  and  mother  held  a 
whispered  conference  in  the  hall.  Then  mother 
tiptoed  back  to  adjust  the  curtains,  after  which  she 
annoyingly  delayed  settling  down  for  her  own 
nap.  Nancy  listened  to  her  stealthy  movements 
in  the  next  room,  wondered  if  she  dared  stop  play- 
ing 'possum  before  mother  had  lain  down,  and 
decided  against  it,  since  the  one  thing  she  most 
wanted  was,  not  a  chance  to  finish  a  rather  stupid 
story,  but  just  to  be  let  alone. 

Nancy  did  sincerely  regret  giving  her  tired 
mother  so  much  extra  trouble.  She  honestly 
wanted  to  cause  her  as  little  anxiety  as  possible. 
Every  morning,  when  she  woke  up,  she  resolved 
to  try  to  be  cheerful ;  but  the  sight  of  mother's 
pitying  face,  Dick's  unwonted  consideration  for 
her,  the  children's  clumsy  efforts  to  amuse, — in- 
stead of  comforting  her,  only  made  her  more  mis- 
erable. She  pitied  herself,  with  mother ;  realized, 
with  Dick,  all  the  jolly  times  she  was  missing ; 
irritably  decided  that  it  was  only  fair  for  the  chil- 
dren to  do  everything  they  could  for  her.  So  the 
very  things  that  should  have  made  her  cheerful 
and  considerate  filled  her  contrary  little  soul  with 
misery,  and  before  she  knew  it  cross  words  and 

61 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

black  looks  had  torn  her  good  resolutions  to  tat- 
ters again. 

But  now,  left  to  herself,  with  nobody  to  listen 
to  her  grumblings  or  pet  her  if  she  cried,  Nancy 
felt  neither  like  crying  nor  grumbling.  Her  eyes 
shut  lest  mother  should  reappear  without  warning, 
she  speculated  quite  happily  about  the  queer 
Green  Knight,  reviewed  her  talk  with  brown-eyed 
Hope  Haskins,  and  wondered  when  she  should  see 
either  of  her  new  friends  again.  If  only  Hope 
could  come  to  see  her,  Nancy  thought,  they  could 
find  plenty  to  talk  about ;  but  Hope  couldn't  come 
of  course ;  she  was  too  busy. 

"  Maybe  she  might  be  able  to  get  cff  some  day 
when  it  rains,"  Nancy  decided  finally.  "  On 
rainy  days  nobody  would  go  to  '  The  Sign  of  the 
Dolphin '  for  tea,  so  the  woman  there  wouldn't 
need  her,  and  Hope  wouldn't  care  about  going  to 
the  rocks.  I'd  like  to  show  her  my  tree  and  my 
view.  I  wonder  if  she  has  a  nice  room  at  the 
Inn.  I  suppose  waitresses  generally  have  to 
take " 

Drowsy  from  having  read  all  the  morning  and 
from  the  midday  heat,  worn  out  with  all  her 
worries  and  tears  and  rebellions,  Nancy  snuggled 
down  on  her  pillows  and  her  thoughts  trailed 
wearily  off  into  a  happy  little  dream. 

Presently  mother,  who  couldn't  sleep  at  all 

62 


/   BE    ON   THE    LOOKOUT!' 

with  her  unhappy  daughter  on  her  mind,  crept 
to  the  door,  and  smiled  delightedly  at  what  she 
saw. 

Now  she  would  go  for  her  walk  ;  she  must  keep 
herself  as  fresh  as  possible  for  Nancy.  So,  instruct- 
ing Rosa  to  answer  the  invalid's  bell,  but  on  no 
account  to  disturb  her  unless  she  rang,  Mrs.  Lee 
went  happily  off.  The  afternoon  breeze  sprang  up 
from  the  sea  to  cool  the  sleeper's  hot  cheeks  and 
make  her  nap  more  refreshing.  In  the  quiet 
house,  empty  save  for  soft-footed,  listening  Rosa, 
Nancy  slept  on  and  on.  It  was  late  afternoon 
when  she  woke  up,  stretched  deliciously,  blinking 
in  the  strong  light,  and  suddenly  gave  vent  to  a 
startled  "  Oh  ! "  at  sight  of  a  perfectly  strange 
lady  standing  at  the  foot  of  her  bed. 

"  Well,  I  am  relieved,"  said  the  visitor,  smiling 
sociably  and  flitting  round  to  the  side  of  the  bed. 
"  I  just  couldn't  make  up  my  mind  to  wake  you 
up,  and  I've  got  another  patient  way  the  other  side 
of  the  Point  at  five-thirty." 

"  But  I  don't  understand "  began  Nancy  in 

bewilderment. 

"  Why,  I'm  Mrs.  Miggs,"  explained  her  caller 
eagerly.  "  The  doctor  told  you  about  me,  of 
course.  Your  hired  girl  said  that,  as  long  as  you 
were  expecting  me,  I  might  as  well  come  right  up. 
I  think,"  added  Mrs.  Miggs,  with  the  air  of  impart- 

63 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

ing  an  interesting  confidence, "  that  her  dinner  was 
jest  where  she  couldn't  very  well  leave  it." 

"  But  the  doctor  didn't  tell  me  about  you,  Mrs. 
Miggs." 

Nancy  wasn't  in  the  least  frightened  or  annoyed 
by  Mrs.  Miggs's  intrusion.  You  couldn't  be  afraid 
of  such  a  tiny  creature.  She  was  the  smallest, 
thinnest  little  body  imaginable.  As  she  talked  to 
Nancy,  she  peered  at  her  and  at  the  room  with 
bright,  bird-like  glances,  from  under  her  small 
black  bonnet ;  and  her  motions,  as  she  flitted  about 
the  bed,  were  quick  and  darting,  so  that  her  whole 
appearance  reminded  Nancy  of  a  lively  sparrow ; 
only  her  plumage  was  all  somber,  rather  rusty 
black,  instead  of  sparrow-like  brown. 

Nancy's  remark  about  the  doctor  threw  Mrs. 
Miggs  into  a  paroxysm  of  twittering  indignation. 
"  He  didn't  ?  You  really  mean  he  didn't  say  a  word 
about  me  ?  Well,  I  never !  That  young  sprig ! 
I  must  say  I  am  surprised  1 "  And  she  fixed 
Nancy  with  a  particularly  piercing  stare  of  aston- 
ishment. "  Well,  I  ain't  clearing  matters  up 
much,  am  I?"  she  continued,  after  a  minute. 
"  I'll  tell  Sammy  what  I  think  of  him  when  we 
next  meet,  and  I'll  tell  you  now  that  Miss  Marston 
couldn't  come  to-day.  He  said  she  had  a  headache, 
but  I'm  inclined  to  think  she  wanted  to  go  sailing 
with  one  of  her  many  admirers."  Mrs.  Miggs 

64 


"TOU  BE    ON   THE    LOOKOUT/' 

paused  to  reflect.  "  Well,  you  can't  be  young  and 
beautiful  but  once — and  sometimes  not  that,  as  in 
my  case  for  instance.  So  we  won't  blame  her, — 
not  till  we  know  the  facts,  anyways.  And  so 
Doctor  Sam  Jennings  asked  me  to  come  in  her 
place,  but  he  promised  to  'phone  your  mother  and 
let  me  know  if  it  was  perfectly  agreeable.  Now 
the  point  is,  am  I  wanted  ?  " 

Nancy  laughed.  The  sulkiest,  most  depressed 
cripple  could  not  have  resisted  the  infectious  cheer- 
fulness of  the  sparrow-like  little  masseuse.  "  Why, 
yes,"  she  said,  "  I'm  sure  you'll  give  my  ankle  a 
splendid  treatment,  Mrs.  Miggs." 

"  I'll  do  my  level  best,"  returned  Mrs.  Miggs 
brightly.  "  Nobody  can  do  more — leastways  I 
can't.  Now  you  tell  me  where  to  find  water  and 
towels,  and  I'll  point  right  for  'em.  I  hate  to  call 
that  girl,  she  seemed  so  tied  up  with  her  dinner." 

So  Nancy  explained  locations,  and  Mrs.  Miggs 
hopped  busily  back  and  forth,  chattering  all  the 
time. 

"  This  is  a  lovely  spot,"  she  said,  having  finally 
seated  herself  by  the  bed,  with  Nancy's  swollen 
foot  resting  on  a  snowy  white  apron  that  she  had 
produced,  as  if  by  magic,  along  with  an  incredible 
number  of  other  conveniences,  from  an  infinites- 
imal black  silk  bag.  "  I  always  hoped  that  Miss 
Willis  would  want  me,  she  being  famous,  and  the 

65 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

house  the  kind  that  excited  my  cur'osity  and  all. 
But  she  never  did.  I  do  hope  I'm  not  intruding 
to-day.  Several  of  the  patients  decided  to  omit 
treatments  until  Miss  Marston  got  well." 

Nancy  reassured  her,  making  an  effort  to  be 
cordial  that  would  have  astonished  the  absent  Miss 
Marston  and  her  own  family  as  well. 

"  You're  very  kind,  I'm  sure,"  Mrs.  Miggs  told 
her.  "Of  course  under  the  circumstances  I  natu- 
rally feel  nervous.  How  long  since  you  sprained 
your  foot  ?  " 

Nancy  told  her,  and  inquired  how  long,  in  Mrs. 
Miggs's  opinion,  it  would  stay  sprained. 

"  Oh,  I  can't  tell  anything  about  that,"  chirped 
Mrs.  Miggs,  "  leastways  not  to-day.  And  what's 
more,"  she  grew  confidential,  "  Sammy  Jennings 
can't  either.  Some  sprains  go  slow  an'  some  fast. 
There  ain't  no  tellin'." 

"  You've  lived  here  a  long  time,  haven't  you  ?  " 
said  Nancy.  "  Dr.  Jennings  isn't  so  particularly 
young  now,  so  I  suppose  you  knew  him  when  he 


was." 


"  Land,  yes  I  I  was  with  Mis'  Jennings  when 
he  was  born.  His  father '11  always  be  the  doctor 
to  me,  an'  Sammy'll  be  the  young  doctor,  till  his 
hair's  white — that  is,  if  I  last  to  see  it  so.  I  was 
brung  up  here.  I  s'pose  you  know  Captain 
Baker?" 

66 


«rOC7   BE    ON    THE    LOOKOUT/' 

"  Of  course,"  Nancy  assured  her  eagerly. 

"  Well,  I'm  his  sister.  Gen'rally  summers  I  go 
up  to  Kittaning  Corners,  where  my  sister  keeps  a 
boarding-house.  There  ain't  no  frilly  young 
nurses  up  there,  an'  the  doctor  is  mighty  glad  to 
see  me.  But  this  year  I  couldn't  very  well  leave 
to  go." 

"  Well,  it's  lovely  here,"  suggested  Nancy  con- 
solingly. "  Your  brother  is  teaching  my  brother 
to  sail.  Father  is  willing  that  Dick  should  go  out 
alone  in  our  boat  as  soon  as  Captain  Baker  says  he 
knows  enough  to.  Dick's  out  with  him  now." 

"  He  is  f "  Little  Mrs.  Miggs  reveled  in  the 
coincidence.  "  Brother's  awful  busy  these  days. 
He  says  he  never  seen  Halcyon  so  full  o'  jolly 
young  folks.  He's  had  parties  out  most  every 
night  this  week — moonlight,  you  know." 

Nancy  said  nothing.  So  that  was  why  Dick 
had  disappeared  every  evening  after  dinner,  and 
mother  never  seemed  to  know  where  he  had  gone. 
They  were  trying  to  hide  all  the  good  times  from 
her,  because  she  couldn't  join  in  them.  A  sudden 
flood  of  tears  welled  up  into  Nancy's  gray  eyes. 

Mrs.  Miggs  darted  an  unsuspecting  glance  at 
her.  "Oh,  do  I  hurt  you,  my  dear?"  she  de- 
manded anxiously,  observing  the  tears.  "  You'd 
ort  to  tell  me  if  I  do." 

"  You  don't  hurt,"  disclaimed  Nancy  hastily. 

67 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  That  is — only  a  little.  I  don't  mind  being 
hurt."  It  was  no  use !  Her  handkerchief  was 
back  under  all  the  pillows.  Nancy  clawed  for  it 
frantically,  fighting  vainly  against  the  rising  tide 
of  her  misery. 

"  Here  !  "  Mrs.  Miggs  shook  out  a  snowy  hand- 
kerchief, drawn  from  the  inexhaustible  black  bag. 
"  Now  have  }^our  cry  out  on  it.  It  is  hard  to  be 
missin'  all  the  frolics,  an'  it  was  too  bad  I  didn't 
think  in  time  to  steer  our  conversation  some  other 
way.  Steerin'  conversations  is  about  the  most 
important  part  of  nursin'  and  I  don't  gen'rally  let 
'em  get  away  from  me." 

"  Oh,  it  d-d-oesn't  m-matter,"  sobbed  Nancy. 
"  I  just  hate  staying  here  !  It  will  be  for  six  weeks, 
probably,  the  doctor  says,  and  I — o-o-h-h  dear  I  " 

"  That's  right,"  advised  Mrs.  Miggs  sociably. 
"  Have  your  cry  right  out !  But  next  time  you 
feel  one  comin'  on,  you  jest  think  how  many  folks 
are  worse  off  than  you.  That's  the  best  cure  for 
tears  that  I  know  of." 

"  Maybe  it  is,"  snapped  Nancy  crossly,  "  but  I 
don't  know  anybody  that's  worse  off.  Being 
stuck  in  the  house — or  on  the  piazza — for  all 
summer " 

"  Yes,  it's  bad,  I'll  admit,"  agreed  Mrs.  Miggs. 
"  Some  girls  wouldn't  mind  much — the  mooney, 
good-for-nothin'  kind  that  like  to  jest  set  an' 

68 


BE    ON    THE    LOOKOUT!' 

dream,  and  let  other  folks  work.  But  you're 
active.  You  like  to  flax  'round.  Jest  the  samey, 
you  try  my  rule,  an'  you'll  cheer  up  something 
lovely." 

Nancy  shrugged  disdainfully.  "  What  have 
those  other  people  to  do  with  me — poor  people  in 
cities  and  sick  people  in  hospitals,  I  suppose  you 
mean.  I'm  not  sick.  I'm  here  to  have  a  good 
time  during  my  summer  vacation.  And  now 
everything's  spoiled." 

Mrs.  Miggs  peered  at  her  interestedly.  "  So  you 
think  you're  the  only  person  whose  vacation  is 
spiled,  do  you  ?  You  think  you're  the  only  un- 
happy person  in  Halcyon,  do  you?  You  jest 
watch  I  You  jest  be  on  the  lookout  I " 

Nancy  sniffed.  "  How  can  I,  when  I'm  stuck 
in  here?" 

Mrs.  Miggs  posed  her  small  head  on  one  side 
quizzically.  "  S'pose  I  told  you  that  I  seen  the 
express  turnin'  down  here  as  I  got  out  of  the 
trolley-car.  S'pose  I  told  you  how  he  offered  me 
a  lift,  an'  how  we  laughed  when  we  seen  that  we 
was  coming  to  the  very  same  house.  Want  to 
know  what  he  brung?"  Without  waiting  for  an 
answer,  Mrs.  Miggs  darted  out  the  door  and  flut- 
tered down-stairs,  returning  in  a  moment  with  a 
bundle  that  was  unmistakably  crutches. 

"  Now  you  won't  be  so  confined,"  said  Mrs. 

69 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Miggs,  with  the  proud  air  of  offering  Nancy  an 
airship  or  a  magic  carpet  at  the  very  least.  "  Why, 
as  soon  as  you  git  a  little  handy  with  these,  you 
can  make  wonderful  progress.  What  do  you  say 
to  preparing  a  little  surprise  right  now  for  your 
folks?" 

Deftly  Mrs.  Miggs  helped  Nancy  to  dress,  and 
then  escorted  her  down  the  hall  and  through  Mrs. 
Lee's  room,  establishing  her  in  an  armchair  on 
the  little  up-stairs  piazza. 

"  You'll  come  again  ? "  said  Nancy  as  Mrs. 
Miggs,  having  arranged  everything  in  the  most 
comfortable  fashion,  prepared  to  depart. 

Mrs.  Miggs,  poised  airily  in  the  door,  darted 
back  to  readjust  Nancy's  rug.  "  That's  as  heaven 
and  Miss  Marston  decrees." 

"  But  I  want  you ! "  said  Nancy.  "  I'd  rather 
have  you  than  Miss  Marston." 

Mrs.  Miggs  chuckled.  "  I'd  like  to  hear  you 
say  that  to  the  young  doctor.  We  two  can't  settle 
anything  without  speakin'  to  him  and  to  your 
mother.  But  whether  I  come  again  or  whether  I 
don't,  you  remember  my  rule.  You  hunt  for  the 
other  unfortunates.  You  be  on  the  lookout  I 
And  don't  you  hunt  too  far  from  home,  neither. 
Good-bye !  " 

Nancy  laughed  heartily  over  mother's  distracted 
hunt  through  the  next  room  for  a  missing  daugh- 

70 


«rOC7  BE    ON   THE    LOOKOUT/' 

ter.  She  was  enthusiastic  about  her  outdoor 
chamber.  "  Though  I  shan't  snatch  away  your 
private  piazza  for  long,  mother/'  she  declared. 
"  To-morrow  I'm  going  down-stairs."  She  in- 
sisted upon  hearing  all  about  the  yacht  races, 
and  she  made  a  comical  story  for  the  family  out 
of  her  visit  from  Mrs.  Miggs.  Dick  and  his 
mother  exchanged  amazed  glances,  and  Joseph- 
ine inquired  pointedly  if  Nancy  "  felt  better." 

"  I'm  ashamed  to  say  that  I  do,"  laughed  Nancy, 
looking  straight  at  mother. 

That  evening,  for  the  first  time  since  the  night 
of  her  accident,  Nancy  had  something  to  say  to 
the  Red  Journal. 

"  I  wonder  what  she  meant  about  hunting  near 
home,"  Nancy  concluded  her  account  of  Mrs. 
Miggs's  visit.  "  I  wonder  if  she  meant  mother. 
Is  it  worse  for  her  to  have  me  laid  up  than  for  me 
to  be  laid  up?  Could  '  Doctor  Sammy  '  have  told 
Mrs.  Miggs  so  ?  Poor  mother  I  I  will  not  be  cross 
any  more  !  Forgetting  to  be  pleasant  is  as  bad  as 
forgetting  to  pick  things  up.  A  cross  person  is 
worse  than  a  disorderly  room.  I  will  be  pleasant. 

"Maybe  I  can  help  in  other  ways  too.  It 
doesn't  seem  very  likely,  but  I  mustn't  forget  that 
I'm  a  Wonder-Worker.  It's  lucky  we  changed  the 
name  of  our  society  from  Woodland  Wanderers, 
which  I  couldn't  possibly  be  now,  to  something 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

that  I  can  try  to  be.  Trying  doesn't  always  work 
wonders.  Sometimes  they  just  happen — like  set- 
tling the  Timmy  Auction  by  having  the  Princess 
marry  the  Ogre.  But  if  trying  doesn't  always 
help,  I  guess  it  seldom  hinders.  I'm  going  to  try. 
"  To-morrow  I  shall  put  on  my  Wonder- Worker 
jumper  and  sit  on  the  piazza  and  think  hard 
about  how  I  can  be  helpful.  But  I'm  going  to  be 
pleasant  whatever  happens.  .N.  LEE." 


•  CHAPTER  IV 
NANCY'S  LOOKOUT 

IT  was  amazing,  next  morning  on  the  piazza, 
how  Nancy's  thoughts  flew  to  happy  conclusions. 

"  Maybe  everything  is  not  spoiled,"  she  wrote 
in  the  Red  Journal,  which  she  had  asked  Joseph- 
ine to  bring  down  for  her.  She  had  had  hard 
work  persuading  her  conscientious  little  sister 
that  she  really  preferred  to  be  alone  this  morn- 
ing, and  that  there  was  therefore  no  reason  why 
Josephine  should  not  join  her  beloved  brother  on 
the  bathing-beach. 

"  I  promised  father  to  take  turns,  and  to  give 
up  things,"  asserted  Josephine.  "  I  mustn't  for- 
get to  do  it." 

"  Some  other  time  when  I  want  you  more  will 
please  father  just  as  much,"  explained  Nancy. 
"  I'm  busy  making  plans  now,  dearie.  When 
I've  planned,  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it,  and  you'll 
probably  have  to  help  me  a  lot,  but  this  morning 
I'd  really  rather  you  would  go  off  with  Billy." 

"  Honest  'n'  true  ?  "  inquired  Josephine,  and  lost 
no  time  in  going. 

73 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  Even  if  my  summer  is  spoiled,"  Nancy  wrote 
on  in  the  Red  Journal,  "  mother's  mustn't  be,  nor 
Dick's  nor  the  children's.  That  would  be  too 
silly  for  anything — to  let  one  little  sprained  ankle 
spoil  five  lovely  summers. 

"  Things  I  can  do  to  help,  even  if  I  am  lame : 
I.     Mend  stockings.     (I  hate  it,  but  probably 

so  does  mother.) 

II.  Plan  menus  for  mother.  I've  heard  her 
say  it's  the  most  trying  part  of  house- 
keeping for  her,  but  I  think  it  will  be 
just  fun— looking  through  cook-books 
to  find  good  things  for  us  to  eat. 

III.  Amuse  Bill  and  Joe  on  rainy  days.     Gen- 

erally they  hang  around  mother,  ask- 
ing, '  What  can  we  do  ? '  till  every- 
body is  sick  of  the  sight  of  them. 

IV.  If  Dick  wants  to  know  the  boy  and  girls 

next  door,  and  hoped  that  I  would 
manage  it  for  him,  I  suppose  I  might 
be  decent  enough  to  let  mother  ask 
them  over — especially  as  they're  new 
here.  You  wouldn't  dream,  to  see  him 
around,  that  Dick  is  shy,  but  he  is. 
Perhaps  the  girls  next  door  are  shy 
too,  and  not  snippy  and  distant,  as 
Charlotte  Carter  thought. 

"  I  can't  think  of  any  more  things  yet,  but  I'll 

74 


NANCT'S    LOOKOUT 

leave  a  space  for  others,  and  these  four  will  do  to 
begin  on.  I  do  certainly  wonder  if  Mrs.  Miggs 
meant  mother,  when  she  told  me  to  hunt  near 
home  for  unhappy  people.  Whether  she  did  or 
not,  I'm  afraid  mother  did  mind  about  me  dread- 
fully ;  she  looks  so  relieved  and  happy  now  that 
I've  stopped  growling  for  a  while.  But  how  I  can 
be  on  the  lookout  for  any  more  unhappy  people 
passes  me,  as  Jane  Learned  is  forever  saying,  while 
I  have  to  stick  on  this  woodsy  piazza,  all  shut  in 
from  the  road.  When  Mrs.  Miggs  comes  again 
day  after  to-morrow,  I'll  make  her  tell  me  about 
some  others,  just  to  prove  that  she  knows  some.  I 
think  it  was  mean  of '  Doctor  Sammy  '  to  say  that 
I  didn't  need  another  rub  till  day  after  to-morrow." 

Mrs.  Lee  could  hardly  believe  her  ears  when 
Nancy,  actually  smiling  about  it,  insisted  that  she 
be  allowed  to  help  with  the  mending  and  the 
menus,  and  then  asked  her  mother  to  call  on  the 
family  next  door  and  invite  the  two  girls  to  come 
over.  Dick  was  equally  astonished  when  his 
sister  demanded  details  of  all  the  sailing-parties, 
past  and  to  come. 

"  The  most  entertaining  thing  you  can  do, 
Dick,"  she  insisted  gaily,  "  is  to  buzz  around  in 
Halcyon  society  as  hard  as  you  can,  and  tell  me  all 
the  gists.  You're  a  very  poor  cribbage  player, 
especially  when  you're  thinking  of  other  things. 

75 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

So  run  along  and  enjoy  yourself,  and  bring  home 
all  the  news." 

Boylike,  Dick  said  nothing,  but  he  privately 
decided  that  "  Nance  was  a  brick."  Determined 
to  have  an  exceptionally  entertaining  report  to 
deliver  to  her  at  lunch-time,  he  resolved  to  devote 
his  morning  to  the  quest  for  the  Green  Knight. 
So  he  tramped  over  to  Surf  Road  and  sauntered 
down  one  winding  crossroad  after  another,  past 
all  the  houses  reasonably  near  to  the  big  Reef. 
Finally,  eliminating  those  whose  occupants  he  was 
sure  did  not  include  the  object  of  his  search,  he 
narrowed  the  possibilities  down  to  three.  Dick 
was  a  persistent  youth.  He  waited  in  a  mosquito- 
haunted  ambush  for  half  an  hour  in  front  of  one 
house,  only  to  discover  that  it  was  vacant  and  the 
signs  of  life  about  the  place  were  caused  by  the 
visit  of  an  agent  and  a  prospective  tenant.  At  the 
next  house  there  was  no  suitable  ambush,  so  Dick 
boldly  walked  to  the  door  and  demanded  John 
Andrews.  Now  John  Andrews  was  Dick's  chum. 
The  Andrews  cottage  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away, 
and,  as  Dick  knew  to  his  sorrow,  it  was  still  un- 
occupied. So  he  felt  quite  safe  in  inquiring 
for  John,  and  he  elicited  from  a  neat  parlor- 
maid the  information  that  she  had  never  heard 
of  such  a  person  and  that  her  master's  name 
was  Parke.  Dick  knew  the  Parkes ;  there  was 

76 


NANCT'S    LOOKOUT 

no  mysterious  Green  Knight  in  that  staid  house- 
hold. 

His  plan  of  ringing  door-bells  had  worked  so 
well  once  that  Dick  decided  to  try  it  again  at  the 
third  house,  a  small  white  one,  hidden  behind  a 
tall  clipped  hedge.  It  was  a  little  place,  but  so. 
spick-and-span  and  dainty,  with  its  hedge  and 
green  lawns  and  gay  flower  borders,  that  Nancy 
had  once  named  it  "  The  Gem."  Dick  knew  the 
people  who  owned  the  place,  but  this  summer  they 
were  in  Europe  ;  and  possibly  the  Green  Knight's 
family  had  rented  it. 

"  The  Gem  "  had  a  tiny  front  porch,  with  box- 
trees  at  each  end  of  the  steps,  and  green  settles  for 
tired  callers.  Dick  rang  and  waited.  No  response. 

"  Are  they  all  out,  or  do  they  think  I'm  an 
agent?"  wondered  Dick,  ringing  again,  this  time 
long  and  loud. 

As  he  stepped  back  from  the  bell,  his  eye  was 
caught  by  a  small  moving  object  on  a  side  porch 
of  the  house.  Thq  porch  was  a  big  square  one, 
shaded  by  green  wicker  curtains.  One  of  these 
was  only  half  drawn  down,  and  just  below  it  Dick 
could  see  a  white  object  moving  rapidly  to  and  fro. 

His  observations  were  interrupted  when  the 
door  was  flung  open  by  the  oddest  little  figure 
imaginable.  Dick  stared  in  amazement  at  her 
starched  white  cap  with  its  wide  revers,  framing  a 

77 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

wistful,  wrinkled  old  face,  at  her  quaint  folded 
kerchief,  and  her  full  black  skirt  that  stood  out 
balloon-like  around  her  slim,  bent  figure.  And 
the  old  servant,  if  such  she  was,  stared  back  at  him 
in  mute,  half-frightened  disapproval. 

In  a  moment  Dick  found  voice  to  inquire  for 
Johnny.  The  old  woman  shook  her  capped  head 
slowly,  with  an  air  of  bewildered  wonderment. 

Dick  tried  again.  "  I  want  Mr.  John  Andrews. 
Does  he  live  here  ?  " 

Again  she  shook  her  head.  "  Not  at  home,"  she 
pattered,  in  a  high,  toneless  voice. 

"  But  does  he  live  here  ?  "  persisted  Dick,  sure 
that  the  old  woman  understood  nothing,  and  hop- 
ing that  she  would  call  somebody  to  her  aid. 

She  apparently  had  no  such  intention.  "  Not 
at  home,  nobody  at  home,  you  please  to  go  away," 
she  expanded  her  set  speech  this  time ;  and  Dick 
decided  to  adopt  her  suggestion  before  she  shut 
the  door  in  his  face. 

It  was  queer,  he  thought,  that  at  such  a  per- 
fectly appointed  house,  with  its  neat  striped  awn- 
ings, its  window-boxes  of  pink  geraniums,  its 
velvety  lawns,  its  garden-beds  rioting  with  blos- 
soms,— it  was  queer  that  the  people  who  lived  at 
"The  Gem"  should  put  up  with  so  strange  a 
parlor-maid.  Either  she  was  deaf  or  she  knew  no 
English — the  foreign  costume  suggested  the  latter. 

78 


NANCT'S   LOOKOUT 

They  must  be  queer  people.  Well,  wasn't  the 
Green  Knight  queer?  Besides,  there  was  no 
other  house  for  him  to  live  in,  unless  he  was 
merely  visiting  at  Halcyon,  in  which  case  he 
might  be  stopping  almost  anywhere.  But  he  had 
spoken  to  Nancy  of  "  our  house."  Perhaps  that 
was  he  now,  moving  something  out  on  the  screened 
porch.  Finding  a  peep-hole  in  the  tall  hedge, 
Dick  cautiously  reconnoitered.  He  could  see  the 
half-drawn  curtain,  the  sunlit  space  below  it,  the 
fluttering  white  object.  Ah,  it  was  a  hand,  and 
it  was  writing ;  the  glittering  thing  that  caught 
the  sunlight  was  a  silver  penholder.  But  it 
wasn't  even  a  boy's  hand ;  it  was  too  small  and 
too  white.  Besides,  there  was  also  visible  a  bare 
white  arm — a  lady's  arm.  She  must  have  a  lot 
to  say,  Dick  thought,  tramping  glumly  back  to 
"  The  Crags,"  to  be  writing  so  fast  and  so  steadily. 
A  whole  morning  gone,  and  nothing  to  show  for 
it! 

Nancy  greeted  him  joyously.  "Who  do  you 
think  has  been  here  ?  Yes,  somebody  you  know 
and  like.  Somebody  you  didn't  expect.  Johnny 
Andrews !  " 

Dick  whistled.  "  But  their  house  is  still  closed. 
I  noticed  this  morning." 

"  Notice  again  this  afternoon.  Mrs.  Andrews 
and  Johnny  are  at  the  Inn — came  last  night. 

79 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

John  had  such  a  funny  time  going  to  our  old 
house  and  being  '  bowled  over,'  as  he  said,  to  find 
strangers  there.  This  afternoon  they're  going  to 
take  two  cleaning-women  out  to  their  house,  and 
to-morrow  the  rest  of  the  family  are  coming." 

"  Gee  1  "  Dick  was  clearly  annoyed.  "  Then 
he'll  be  busy  all  this  afternoon.  Just  my  luck 
to  have  been  prowling  around  hunting  that  queer 
boy,  and  missed  Johnny." 

"  Was  that  where  you  were  ?  "  laughed  Nancy. 
"  Then  I'm  afraid  you  did  waste  your  time,  be- 
cause    What  did  you  find  out  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  admitted  Dick  gloomily.  "  Unless 
you  count  that  perhaps  I  spotted  the  house  where 
he  lives.  If  so,  there's  a  lady  in  the  family  that 
was  writing  letters  like  mad  this  morning,  and 
the  maid  that  answers  the  bell  is  either  deaf  or  a 
foreigner.  At  least  she's  a  foreigner  for  sure,  and 
maybe  deaf  into  the  bargain,  and  she's  not  a  bit 
interested  in  stray  callers.  She  told  me  '  please  to 
go  away.' " 

Nancy  laughed  delightedly.  "  Oh,  Dick,  you 
did  find  the  right  house  then — the  lovely  one 
that  I  call  'The  Gem'!  Johnny  says  the  right 
name  of  it  is  '  Fair  Acre.'  But  how  did  you  hap- 
pen to  ring  their  bell  ?  Do  you  know  the  boy's 
name?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  know  anything  about  him,  except 

80 


NANCT'S   LOOKOUT 

what  you  told  me."  Dick  explained  his  bell-ring- 
ing scheme.  "  I  suppose  Johnny  told  you  what- 
ever new  you  know.  Let's  have  it." 

"  It's  not  much,"  admitted  Nancy.  "  Last  night 
Mrs.  Andrews  telephoned  the  Parkes,  who  have 
her  keys,  and  the  Parkes  came  to  the  Inn  to  see 
her.  They  told  her  about  a  queer  family  near 
them — a  boy  and  his  mother  and  a  deaf  French 
maid  who  works  all  day  and  never  goes  out,  and 
an  old  gardener  who  sings  queer  foreign  chants 
at  his  work  and  never  goes  out  either.  And  when 
the  lady  goes  out  she  wears  a  veil — a  green  veil, 
Johnny  thought  they  said — drawn  tight  over  her 
face.  Sometimes  she  even  wears  it  in  the  garden. 
And  the  boy  runs  if  he's  spoken  to." 

"  Nice  neighbors  I  "  sniffed  Dick. 

"  They'd  suit  me  beautifully,"  laughed  Nancy. 
"  I  wish  they  lived  near  us.  I  could  have  splen- 
did times  watching  them  and  trying  to  puzzle 
them  out.  Mrs.  Parke  thinks  the  woman  is  crazy, 
and  the  boy  keeps  out  of  the  way  so  he  won't 
have  to  answer  questions  about  her.  Mr.  Parke 
thinks  she's  been  disfigured  in  some  dreadful  ac- 
cident. But  as  I  told  Johnny,  that  boy  I  met 
didn't  act  as  if  his  mother  was  insane  or  terribly 
hurt,  and  he  wanted  to  hide  it.  He  seemed  too 
gay  and  jolly.  So  Johnny  said  that  perhaps  she 
was  a  beautiful  young  widow  hiding  from  an 

Si 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

insistent  lover,  and  she's  given  the  crusty  maid 
orders  not  to  let  any  one  in." 

"  That's  your  idea,  not  Johnny's,"  sniffed  Dick, 
not  yet  reconciled  to  his  wasted  morning. 
"  Johnny  would  think  up  something  with  blood- 
and-thunder  in  it,  instead  of  love." 

"  Perhaps  we  thought  it  up  together,"  Nancy 
admitted  amiably.  "  And  Johnny's  coming  back 
to  have  lunch  with  you,  so  cheer  up." 

Nancy  chuckled  to  herself  at  the  idea  of  the 
tearful  young  lady  of  yesterday  having  arrived  at 
the  point  of  urging  others  to  cheer  up.  But 
strange  as  it  might  seem,  to-day  she  really  had 
cheerfulness  to  spare. 

"  Maybe  even  my  summer  won't  be  spoiled," 
she  wrote  in  the  Red  Journal  after  luncheon, 
when  she  was  alone  on  the  piazza  again.  Then 
she  added  a  fifth  item  to  her  list  of  helpful 
activities : 

"  See  to  it  that  Bill  and  Joe  go  off  somewhere 
right  straight  after  lunch.  The  contrary  creatures 
stick  around  and  shout,  when  mother  ought  to  be 
having  her  nap." 

It  was  still  mid-afternoon,  but  time  was  begin- 
ning to  hang  heavy,  and  the  ankle  to  throb  and 
prickle  as  it  always  did  when  Nancy  had  nothing 
to  divert  her  mind  from  it.  Her  book  was  up- 
stairs, the  stockings  all  mended,  and  she  couldn't 

82 


NANCT'S    LOOKOUT 

remember  just  how  to  go  on  with  the  crocheting 
that  mother  had  started  for  her. 

"  Oh,  de "  began  Nancy,  but  stopped  to  won- 
der about  a  low,  persistent  "  Whu-whu ! "  that 
had  sounded  once  or  twice  around  the  end  of  the 
piazza. 

"  Whu-whu-whu-whu  I  "  Where  had  she  heard 
that  owlish  hoot  before  ? 

"  Whu-whu-whu-whu  I  " 

Hope  Haskins,  of  course,  calling  from  the  top  of 

Baxter's    Reef.    "Whu-whu Here   I   ami" 

called  back  Nancy.  Mother  had  gone  for  her  walk 
now,  so  quiet  was  no  longer  necessary.  "  Come 
right  around  the  house.  I'm  on  the  piazza  at  the 
back.  I  can't  come  to  meet  you,  or  get  up,  or  any- 
thing," she  added  as  the  little  brown-clad  figure 
came  nearer. 

"  I  know  ! "  Hope  called  back.  "  That's  the 
particular  reason  why  I  came.  But  I  can't  see 
why,  if  your  house  has  a  pretty  name  like  '  The 
Crags,'  you  don't  stick  it  up  somewhere.  I  wasn't 
a  bit  sure  that  I'd  come  to  the  right  place." 

"  Well,  you  have,"  Nancy  assured  her,  "  and  at 
the  right  time  too,  because  I'm  longing  for  com- 
pany. I  was  going  to  write  and  ask  you  if  you 
couldn't  come  to  see  me  some  day  when  it  rained." 

"  When  it  rained  ?  "  Hope's  brown  eyes  were 
vague  with  wonderment. 

83 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  Because  then,  if  you  had  time  for  any  extras, 
you  wouldn't  want  to  be  out  on  the  rocks,"  ex- 
plained Nancy.  "How  did  you  get  away  from 
'  The  Sign  of  the  Dolphin  '  ?  And  how  did  you 
know  about  my  ankle  ?  " 

"  One  question  at  a  time,  please,"  laughed  Hope, 
sitting  down  in  one  of  the  wicker  chairs,  after  she 
had  laid  a  big  bundle  she  carried  carefully  on  a 
table.  "  I  heard  about  your  ankle  in  a  funny 
way.  Miss  Willis  had  a  bad  headache  yesterday. 
She  called  the  doctor  and  the  doctor  sent  a  nurse 
to  massage  her  head,  and  the  nurse  told  her  about 
a  girl  at  '  The  Crags '  who'd  sprained  her  ankle 
five  days  ago.  That  was  our  day,  you  see,  and 
you'd  told  me  where  you  lived,  and  I'd  told  Miss 
Willis  about  you  and  how  you  said  you'd  come  to 
the  shop.  So  she  naturally  told  me  why  you 
couldn't  come  at  present.  That's  how  I  knew. 
And  I  got  here  to-day  because  Miss  Willis  sent  me 
to  a  house  called  '  Gray  Gables '  with  that  big  bun- 
dle, and  she  said  I  might  stop  to  inquire  for  you, 
and  then  you,  or  somebody  else  here,  would  tell 
me  how  to  get  to  '  Gray  Gables.'  So  that's  how  I 
got  here  and,  as  usual,  I  can't  stay  but  a  minute." 

"Then  there's  something  I  want  to  ask  you," 
Nancy  told  her  earnestly.  "  You  remember  what 
you  said  the  other  day  about  enjoying  glimpses  of 
rocks  and  pools  more  than  you  would  if  you  had 

84 


NANCT'S    LOOKOUT 

all  day  to  wander  around  and  look  at  them.  Do 
you  really  think  that's  so  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  know  it ! "  cried  Hope  eagerly,  her  big 
eyes  blazing.  "  Why,  this  very  minute  I'm  enjoy- 
ing you  and  this  lovely  piazza  and  these  pretty 
chairs  and  the  flower-beds  and  the  paths  that 
wander  off  to  lovely  places  where  I've  never  been 
— I'm  enjoying  it  to  make  up  for  ironing  napkins 
in  a  stifling  hot  laundry  all  this  morning,  when  it 
wasn't  my  turn  to  iron,  and  for  dropping  a  tray  of 
dishes  yesterday  and  being  scolded  and  made  to 
pay  for  what  was  broken,  and  for  all  the  other 
horrid  things  that  have  happened  lately,  and  that 
are  probably  going  to  happen  soon.  I'm  having  a 
perfectly  blissful  time  !  I'm  storing  up  things  to 
think  over  and  things  to  wonder  about.  But  you 
— you  sit  here  every  day,  and  you  don't  have  to 
drink  the  loveliness  down  in  big  gulps  and  then 
run."  Hope  sighed  happily.  "  If  I  didn't  have 
to  take  my  joys  in  gulps,  I'm  sure  I  should  miss 
lots  of  them." 

"  I — think — I  see,"  said  Nancy  slowly.  "  Now 
if  I  were  like  you,  I  could  make  the  lovely  walk 
I  had  the  day  I  met  you  last  over  these  days  when 
I  can't  walk  at  all,  and  then  'I  shouldn't  feel  so 
unhappy  about  my  accident." 

"  Yes,"  nodded  Hope.  "  That's  it.  And  being 
here  on  this  lovely,  shady  piazza  would  make  up 

85 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

to  you  for  the  days  when  you  had  to  stay  up-stairs, 
and  your  having  a  pretty  room — I  know  you 
have  one — would  make  up " 

"  Go  up  and  see  it,  if  you  want  to,"  suggested 
Nancy.  "  It's  the  door  at  the  left  of  the  stairs. 
Be  sure  to  notice  my  tree  and  my  view  and  my 
wall-paper." 

In  a  moment  Hope  came  running  back,  so  radi- 
ant that  Nancy  made  another  suggestion.  "  I 
want  you  to  see  my  Birdcage  too.  Only  I  can't 
bear  not  to  show  it  to  you  myself.  Would  you  have 
time  to  help  me  out  there  ?  We  should  have  to 
go  slowly,  but  it's  only  a  few  steps." 

Hope's  eyes  danced.  "  Oh,  yes,  I  can  do  that,  be- 
cause I'll  hurry  all  the  way  to  '  Gray  Gables  '  and 
back,  to  make  up  for  lost  time.  You  are  splendid 
to  me,  Nancy  Lee.  Everybody  is — almost — tak- 
ing a  lot  of  trouble  to  show  me  things  that  they 
think  I  shall  love.  I'm  guessing  hard  this  minute 
about  what  wonderful  kind  of  birdcage  you  can 
have  hung  up  out  there  in  the  woods." 

"  I  don't  think  it  was  very  splendid  of  whoever 
made  you  pay  for  those  broken  dishes,"  said  Nancy, 
as  they  started  for  the  Birdcage.  "  I  think  it's 
downright  mean  to  make  a  person  pay  for  an 
accident." 

"  Oh,  not  mean,  exactly,"  qualified  Hope.  "  You 
see  I  knew  about  the  breakage  fines,  and  I  ought 

86 


NANCT'S   LOOKOUT 

to  have  been  more  careful.  Of  course  another  girl 
shoved  me — but  I  ought  to  have  looked  out  for 
that.  Losing  the  forty  cents  will  make  me  most 
dreadfully  careful  for  all  summer,  and  by  that 
time  perhaps  I  shall  have  got  the  habit  of  careful- 
ness, which  would  be  cheap  at  forty  cents,"  ended 
Hope  quaintly. 

"  I  guess  it  would  ! "  sighed  Nancy.  "  I'm 
dreadfully  careless  myself.  I  suppose  I  was  being 
careless  when  I  got  this  sprain.  And  I'm  always 
dropping  things  and  losing  them  and  forgetting. 
One  of  the  Fair  Oaks  girls — that's  the  name  of  my 
school — nicknamed  me  Miss  I-Forgot.  But  just 
at  present  I'm  more  interested  in  being  cheerful 
than  careful.  Whether  you're  used  to  it  or  not, 
you  have  to  be  pretty  careful  on  crutches." 

Hope  nodded.  "  And — oh,  surely  you  can't  be 
very  cheerless,  with  this  to  come  out  to !  "  she 
cried,  catching  sight  of  the  little  summer-house. 
"  What  a  darling  place  !  And  you  say  it's  your 
own  little  house?  I  think  it  belongs  partly  to  the 
fairies,  Nancy  Lee." 

After  a  few  blissful  minutes  spent  in  inspecting 
the  arrangements  of  the  Birdcage,  trying  the 
perches,  as  Hope  insisted  upon  calling  the  chairs 
and  seat,  and  hearing  about  Nancy's  projected  im- 
provements, Hope  declared  that  she  must  go.  It 
wouldn't  be  fair  to  Miss  Willis  to  stay  any  longer. 

87 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  Not  that  she  specially  needs  me  back  in  a  hurry," 
said  Hope,  "  because  so  few  people  come  to  the 
shop  yet.  But  she  pays  me,  so  the  afternoon  be- 
longs to  her.  You're  sure  you're  all  right  here, 
Nancy  Lee?  I'd  better  tell  some  one  at  the  house 
where  you've  disappeared  to." 

Having  gone  a  little  way  down  the  path,  Hope 
ran  back  again  with  a  parting  suggestion.  "  Mer- 
maids help  me  a  lot  these  days,"  she  announced 
cryptically.  "  I  mean,  to  think  about,  when  I 
can't  be  doing  the  things  I  want  to.  It  really 
seems  as  if  I  could  imagine  mermaids  better  when 
I  can't  get  out  to  see  their  haunts.  So  now  that 
you  can't  climb  out  on  our  big  rock,  you  try  im- 
agining mermaids  there.  It  helps  a  lot." 

"  Thank  you — but  I'd  rather  have  you  out  on 
Baxter's  with  me  than  any  silly  mermaid,"  retorted 
Nancy  laughingly. 

"Oh,  really?  Thank  you  for  that!"  cried 
Hope,  darting  down  the  path  and  out  of  sight,  this 
time  for  good. 

Lying  back  in  her  rustic  chair,  Nancy  smiled 
happily  to  herself  over  the  notion  of  a  matter-of- 
fact  person  like  Nancy  Lee  spending  her  thoughts  on 
mermaids.  As  she  had  told  Hope,  she  preferred  to 
think  about  real  people.  She  wished  somebody  else 
would  come  to  see  her.  Mother  had  promised  to  call 
next  door  ;  just  possibly  she  might  bring  back  the 

88 


NANCT'S   LOOKOUT 

girls  with  her.  That  would  be  pleasant,  only  if, 
upon  further  acquaintance,  she  decided  that  she 
didn't  like  them,  Nancy  hated  to  have  them  find 
her  in  the  Birdcage.  She  meant  to  keep  that  for 
choice  spirits  like  Hope. 

"  I'm  tired,  I  tell  you  I  I'm  tired  I "  sang  a 
shrill  little  voice  almost  in  Nancy's  ear.  Some- 
body was  down  on  the  rocks — the  public  rocks 
outside  the  fence.  Not  mermaids,  but  real  persons. 
Nancy  twisted  herself  round  in  her  chair  and 
looked  down,  just  as  another  explosive  announce- 
ment floated  up  to  her. 

"  No,  I  don't  wanter  play  in  the  sand,"  shrilled 
the  same  cross  little  voice.  "  I  won't  I  I  won't  1  I 
wanter  see  my  father.  I  hate  this  place.  I  shall 
cry  if  I  wanter  I  Stop  scratching  me,  you  kitten  I " 

Down  below  the  Birdcage  stood  a  child — the 
palest,  thinnest,  sickliest  little  girl  Nancy  had 
ever  seen.  Her  white  face  was  shaded  by  a  flop- 
ping white  muslin  hat.  Her  dress  was  white,  and 
her  shoes  and  stockings.  Under  her  arm  she 
carried  a  fluffy  white  ball  of  fur  that  Nancy 
thought  was  a  toy  kitten,  until,  at  an  impatient 
twitch  from  its  little  mistress,  it  mewed  piteously. 

Beside  the  cross  child  stood  a  stiffly  starched, 
unhappy-looking  nurse-maid,  holding  on  a  leash  a 
beautiful  white  wolfhound,  who,  tugging  hard  at 
his  leash,  looked  rather  unhappy  too. 

89 


NANCY  LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

"  Give  me  the  kitten,  and  you  take  your  pail 
and  spade  and  go  and  play  in  the  sand,"  suggested 
the  nurse  once  more. 

"  I  won't !  I  won't !  "  shrieked  the  little  white 
girl.  "  I  want  my  kitten  an'  my  father.  You  go 
'way  !  I  don't  want  you  I  " 

"  I'll  make  you  a  sand-castle,"  suggested  the 
poor  nurse  desperately.  "  A  lovely  castle  in " 

"  You  won't !  "  shrieked  the  child.  "  I  wanter 
go  home,  I  do.  I'm  tired." 

"  But  your  grandpapa  said "  began  the  poor 

nurse. 

"  That  old  thing  !  "  shrieked  the  naughty  child. 
"I  won't  mind  him!  I'll  mind  my  father.  My 
father  lets  me  do  all  the  nice  things  I  wanter. 
He " 

Nancy  had  listened,  fascinated  by  the  noisy 
fury  of  the  tiny,  white-faced  virago.  Now  she 
leaned  forward  and  gave  Hope's  owl-hoot.  "  Whu- 

whu Who  are  you?"  she  called.  "I'm  a 

little  bird,  and  this  is  my  cage.  Who  are  you, 
down  there?  A  little  chattering  squirrel,  I  think, 
or  a  clam  come  out  of  his  hole  in  the  sand  to  look 
around." 

At  the  sound  of  Nancy's  voice,  the  child  jumped 
back,  startled,  and  dropped  the  fluffy  kitten, 
which  gave  a  frightened  "miaow  "  as  it  fell,  and 
then  squatted  down  contentedly  on  the  warm 

90 


NANCT'S    LOOKOUT 

sand.  In  a  minute  the  child  saw  Nancy's  yellow 
head  peering  out  from  the  greenery  above  her. 

"  Um !  You're  a  big  story-teller,"  she  cried. 
"  You're  a  girl,  not  a  bird,  and  I'm  a  little  girl. 
You  stop  talking  to  me  I " 

"  Oh,  but  I  am  truly  and  honestly  in  a  Bird- 
cage," persisted  Nancy  smilingly.  "  You  just 
come  up  and  see  if  I'm  not — if  your  nurse  is 
willing.  The  name  of  it  is  all  printed  on  my 
little  cage.  And  I'm  a  caged  bird,  too.  My  wing 
is  broken,  so  I  can't  hop  down  to  you.  I  have  to 
stay  right  here  in  my — on  my  perch." 

"  Um  !  You  big  story-teller  !  "  mocked  the 
little  white  girl.  "  I  don't  wanter  come  up  V  see. 
I  won't  come  up !  I  want  my  father.  I  hate  this 
old  place." 

"  Hush,  dearie,"  the  shocked  nurse  besought  her 
small  charge.  "  You  mustn't  be  rude  to  the  nice 
lady.  She's  telling  you  a  pretty  story,  and  invit- 
ing you  up  to  see  her.  Oh  " — in  a  shriller  key  of 
dismay — "  you  naughty,  naughty  girl !  " 

For,  without  waiting  for  any  more  talk  about  it, 
the  little  white  girl  had  made  a  dive  after  the 
fluffy  kitten  and  now,  hardly  touching  the  rocks 
as  she  went,  she  was  running  away  as  fast  as  her 
pipe-stem  legs  could  carry  her. 

"  Oh,  my  I  She's  not  let  to  run  I "  cried  the 
white-capped  nurse  dismally,  and  was  off  in  pant- 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

ing  pursuit,  with  the  great  white  hound,  contrary 
as  his  little  mistress,  now  pulling  obstinately  back 
on  his  leash. 

"  Well,  of  all  awful  children  !  "  Nancy  leaned 
back  in  her  rustic  chair.  "  Poor  little  thing ! 
She  must  have  been  dreadfully  ill,  to  be  so  pale 
and  thin.  Her  face  is  like  a  little  old  woman's. 
I  pity  that  nurse."  Suddenly  Nancy  gave  a  glad 
little  cry.  "  Why,  I've  found  them — two  more  un- 
fortunates. And  I  wasn't  even  on  the  lookout, — 
unless  you  call  it  being  on  the  lookout  to  be  sitting 
up  in  this  Birdcage.  It's  the  best  lookout  I've  got, 
anyway ;  but  of  course  it's  only  by  accident  that 
I  discovered  those  two.  I  should  never  see  any 
more  from  here,  probably.  I  wonder  if  Mrs. 
Miggs  knows  that  dreadful  child.  And  I  wonder 
if  the  child  has  any  real  things  to  be  unhappy 
about,  or  whether  she's  just  cross  as — I — was," 
admitted  honest  Nancy.  "  Under  the  circum- 
stances, I  guess  I'd  better  be  feeling  sorry  for  her 
instead  of  calling  her  a  dreadful  child,  poor  little 
mite ! " 


92 


CHAPTER  V 

MORE  NEW  FRIENDS 

THE  two  girls  who  lived  next  door  were  not 
sisters  ;  they  were  cousins.  Alexandra  was  Alex- 
andra Little,  sister  of  the  tall  boy  who  could  do 
the  wonderful  diving.  Cecilia  was  Cecilia  Green, 
who  lived  in  Ohio  but  spent  most  of  her  summers 
with  her  Eastern  cousins.  The  Little  boy's  name 
was  Peter,  and  because  he  was  so  very  tall  he  was 
naturally  nicknamed  Little  Peter.  But  this  fact 
did  not  come  out  till  after  the  ice  had  been  broken, 
and  Cecilia's  and  Alexandra's  formal  call  of  neigh- 
borly condolence  had  been  turned  into  a  very 
merry  visit  that  lasted  most  of  the  afternoon, 
included  Dick  and  Peter  and  Johnny  Andrews, 
and  ended  on  the  tennis-court, — tennis-courts  be- 
ing, as  is  well  known,  excellent  places  for  breaking 
social  ice. 

Alexandra  was  tall  and  fair  and  very  quiet. 
Cecilia  was  little  and  dark  and  did  the  talking  for 
both. 

"  We  felt  so  sorry  when  we  heard  of  your  acci- 
dent," said  Alexandra  in  her  sweet,  low  voice. 

"  Aunt  May  tried  to  have  us  come  right  over 

93 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

and    see   you,"    added   Cecilia,    "  but   Alexandra 
wouldn't." 

"  Oh,  C.  I  "  remonstrated  her  cousin.  "  It  was 
only  because  I  thought  she  might  not  feel  like 
having  us." 

"  It's  fun  here  at  Halcyon,  isn't  it  ?  "  Cecilia 
changed  the  subject  swiftly.  "  We  don't  know 
many  people  yet,  but  we've  been  asked  to  go  sail- 
ing to-morrow  with  a  party  from  the  Inn.  You 
know  Alexandra's  brother  Peter  stayed  there  for 
a  while  last  summer.  And  everybody  talks  to  you 
when  you're  in  the  water.  We  go  in  every  day." 

Alexandra  tried  to  catch  her  voluble  cousin's 
eye.  "  There's  no  prettier  place  around  here  than 
this  piazza,  I  think,"  she  said,  frowning  hard  at 
Cecilia. 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed  !  "  Cecilia  saw  the  meaning 
of  Alexandra's  signals.  "  And  it's  splendid  to 
have  time  to  read  and  sew,  and  to  be  waited  on, 
isn't  it?  Can  you  have  all  the  good  things  you 
want  to  eat  ?  " 

"  I'll  bring  you  over  some  of  our  books,  if 
you  like,"  suggested  Alexandra  presently.  "  We 
brought  a  good  many  with  us,  but  no  one  seems  to 
care  much  for  them." 

"  We  can  bring  our  sewing  over  sometimes  too," 
put  in  Cecilia.  "  We  brought  piles  of  fancy  work 
to  do,  and  we  haven't  touched  it." 

94 


MORE   NEW   FRIENDS 

"  Oh,  yes,"  chimed  in  Alexandra,  looking  pity- 
ingly at  Nancy.  "  We  shall  be  glad  to  come  and 
sew  with  you." 

Nancy  had  stood  their  pitying  glances  and  tact- 
ful sympathy  just  as  long  as  she  could.  "  Oh, 
please  stop  bothering  about  me  and  planning  to 
do  things  for  me,  and  let's  talk  about  something 
real  I  "  she  exploded  suddenly.  "  I  don't  want  to 
be  pitied  I  I'm  not  forlorn  !  I  hate  to  sit  around 
all  summer  and  read  or  sew,  just  as  much  as  you 
two  would,  but  I  can  stand  it,  I  guess,  if  I  have  to. 
Only,  since  we  all  three  know  what  a  perfect 
nuisance  a  sprained  ankle  is,  I'd  rather  talk  about 
something  else — something  pleasanter." 

Alexandra  stared  affrightedly  at  her  hot-headed 
young  hostess.  Cecilia  giggled.  "  What  do  you 
want  to  talk  about  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Things  we  all  like,  such  as  tennis,"  returned 
Nancy  promptly.  "  Have  you  a  court  ?  Then 
come  and  play  on  ours,  and  bring  your  brother." 

"  Oh,  what  larks  !  "  cried  eager  Cecilia.  "  Where 
is  your  court  ?  It's  queer  I  never  noticed  it." 

Nancy  explained,  and  sent  her  two  guests  off  to 
inspect  the  cleverly  hidden  tennis-ground. 

"  We  should  love  to  play  here,"  Alexandra  told 
her  when  they  were  back,  "  only  won't  it  make 
you  feel — you  know,"  she  ended,  afraid  to  risk 
Nancy's  displeasure  by  saying  what  she  meant. 

95 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  No,  it  won't,"  declared  Nancy  stoutly.  "  I 
can  sit  on  the  green  bench  and  watch,  and 
keep  score  for  you,  maybe.  My  brother  Dick 
will  like  to  play  with  you.  He's  very  fond  of 
tennis." 

"  Goodie  I  Then  we  can  get  Peter  and  have 
mixed  doubles  !  "  cried  Cecilia  eagerly.  "  That's 
our  favorite  game.  We'll  certainly  come  soon." 
She  hesitated.  "  Would  to-morrow  afternoon  be 
too  soon  ?  " 

"  Cecilia  1  "  remonstrated  Alexandra. 

"  Well,"  explained  Cecilia,  "  that  court  looks  so 
tempting,  and  I  thought  it  would  be  nice  to  settle 
something  right  now." 

"  Of  course  it  would."  Nancy,  smiling  a  satis- 
fied smile,  took  up  Cecilia's  proposal.  She  had 
been  waiting  for  an  excuse  to  call  out  her  shy  big 
brother,  who  had  fled  indoors  at  the  approach  of 
the  two  strange  girls  he  so  much  wanted  to  know. 
Here  was  her  opening.  "  I  believe  Dick  is  some- 
where around  here  now,"  she  said.  "  So  you 
needn't  wait  even  till  to-morrow  unless  you  want 
to.  Oh,  Dick  I  " 

Dick  lounged  out,  blushing  furiously  and  act- 
ing as  amazed  as  if  he  had  not  made  Nancy  sol- 
emnly promise  to  "  get  him  into  the  game "  the 
first  chance  she  had.  Why  yes,  he  agreed  rather 
hesitatingly,  it  wasn't  a  bad  day  for  tennis.  If 

96 


MORE    NEW   FRIENDS 

Peter  Little  couldn't  be  found  to  make  a  fourth 
for  the  match,  he  would  stand  the  two  girls. 

But  Peter  was  only  too  glad  to  come.  He  ap- 
peared after  a  few  minutes  with  the  girls,  who  had 
run  home  for  shoes  and  racquets.  Peter  was  noisy 
and  jolly,  more  like  Cecilia  than  Alexandra.  He 
called  his  sister  "  Al "  and  his  cousin  "  Miss  C. 
Green  "  or  just  "  Sea-Green." 

"  We  only  have  her  here  because  she's  the  right 
color,"  he  explained  facetiously. 

He  played  a  fair  game,  but  not  so  well  as  Dick 
did  ;  so  that  Dick,  and  Alexandra,  who  tried  very 
hard  but  was,  as  her  brother  blandly  explained, 
"  an  old  duffer  at  sports,"  were  very  evenly 
matched  against  Peter  and  Cecilia,  who,  Nancy 
judged,  played  about  as  well  as  she  did.  In  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  Johnny  Andrews  ap- 
peared. 

"  Hello,  Jonathan,"  said  Nancy,  making  room 
for  him  on  the  green  bench.  "  I'm  not  a  bit  sur- 
prised to  see  you.  I  thought  I  heard  Dick  tele- 
phoning you,  when  he  went  in  to  get  the  tennis 
net." 

Johnny  smiled.  "  S'pose  he  did  telephone? 
He  had  to  call  off  an  engagement  to  go  out  in  my 
new  motor-boat,  hadn't  he?  I'm  naturally  a  meek 
little  soul,  but  when  I'm  to  be  coldly  turned  down 
for  a  girl  party  I  want  to  be  notified  in  time  to  be 

97 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

in  on  said  party.  That's  perfectly  fair,  isn't  it? 
Besides,  I've  got  news  for  you." 

"News  for  me?"  Nancy  wondered.  "Oh, 
Johnny,  is  it  about  the  Green  Knight  ?  " 

Johnny  nodded  solemnly.  "  I've  seen  him. 
He  was  wearing  his  badge  of  office — green  cap 
with  feather  aforesaid.  He  was  walking.  On 
two  feet.  Also  whistling.  I  said  '  Hello.'  He 
did  not  run  away  from  me." 

"  What  a  thrilling  report !  "  laughed  Nancy. 

"  Just  the  same,"  Johnny  assured  her,  "  he,  and 
the  party  with  the  veil,  and  the  gardener  that 
makes  the  flowers  grow  in  Dago  and  talks  sign 
language  with  his  fingers  at  that  crazy  looking 
cook, — they've  got  the  neighborhood  all  fussed 
up." 

The  tennis  set  ended  just  then,  and  the  players 
joined  the  spectators,  the  girls  taking  the  bench 
and  the  boys  the  ground. 

"  Couldn't  you  go  sailing  if  we  helped  you  a 
lot  about  getting  into  the  boat?"  Johnny  asked 
Nancy  presently.  "  Because  there's  a  perfectly 
good  motor-launch  tied  up  to  your  dock  this  min- 
ute, and  plenty  of  time  before  dinner  for  us  all 
here  assembled  to  try  her  out." 

Nancy  shook  her  head.  The  steps  down  to  the 
wharf  were  too  steep  for  crutches,  and  the  doctor 
had  advised  her  not  to  try  to  get  in  and  out  of  a 

98 


MORE    NEW   FRIENDS 

boat  for  a  while.  But  she  urged  the  rest  to  go, 
laughingly  telling  them  that  she  had  had  enough 
company  for  one  day.  In  this  she  was  perfectly 
sincere ;  her  ankle  throbbed  from  having  been 
kept  so  long  in  the  normal  position  of  well 
ankles ;  she  longed  to  prop  it  up  and  stretch  it 
out,  with  no  regard  for  appearances.  In  the  end 
she  had  her  way.  Dick  and  Johnny  made  a 
"  lady's  chair  "  and  carried  her  gallantly  back  to 
the  piazza,  where  the  young  people  from  next 
door  said  good-bye  to  her  and  thanked  her  for  "  a 
perfectly  grand  time." 

"  I'm  glad  you  didn't  want  to  be  pitied,"  whis- 
pered Cecilia. 

"  So  am  I,"  chimed  in  Alexandra.  "  But  for  a 
minute  when  you  objected  to  the  topics  of  our 
conversation,  you  frightened  me.  I  thought  you 
meant  that  we  had  been — stupid." 

It  didn't  take  long  for  the  throb  in  Nancy's 
ankle  to  subside,  and  then,  after  the  gay  time  she 
had  had  earlier  in  the  afternoon,  the  piazza  seemed 
very  dull  and  quiet. 

"  I'm  getting  lonely  and  cross,"  Nancy  told  her- 
self. "  I  mustn't  do  that.  I've  had  a  gulp  of 
fun,  as  Hope  says,  and  it  ought  to  last  me  for 
a  while  ;  but  instead  I  want  another  right  off  now. 
I'll  go  to  my  lookout,  and  see  how  Mrs.  Miggs's 
rule  works." 

99 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

So  she  hobbled  out  to  the  Birdcage  and  estab- 
lished herself  in  the  biggest  chair,  overlooking  the 
rocks  and  the  water. 

She  had  scarcely  seated  herself  when  a  shrill 
little  voice  jeered  up  at  her  eagerly.  "  You  are  a 
story-teller,  you  are !  You're  not  a  bird.  You 
don't  stay  in  a  cage.  Your  wing  isn't  broken — 
you  haven't  a  wing.  I  saw  you  walk  with  two 
sticks  under  your  arms.  So  now !  "  The  little 
white  girl  jiggled  on  her  pipe-stem  legs,  in  defiant 
assertion  of  her  thesis. 

Nancy  smiled  cajolingly  down  at  her  small  an- 
tagonist. "  Don't  you  ever  pretend  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  I  think  it's  fun  to  pretend,  and  when  I  was 
smaller  like  you  I  used  just  to  love  it.  Of  course 
I'm  a  girl.  I've  hurt  my  ankle ;  that's  why  I 
walk  on  two  sticks.  But  this  truly  is  a  Birdcage 
— you  come  and  see  if  the  name  isn't  fastened 
right  up  here  on  it — and  I  can't  go  far  from  the 
door  of  my  cage,  because  walking  on  sticks  is  too 
hard  work.  So  don't  you  think  I  might  pretend 
I'm  a  bird?" 

"  You  can  pretend  if  you  wanter,"  snapped  the 
small  drooping  mouth.  "  I  shan't.  It's  silly.  I 
wanter  go  home.  I  came  to  see  if  you  were  a 
bird."  She  turned  to  the  nurse,  who  stood  beside 
her,  eying  her  rude  little  charge  with  dull  dis- 
couragement. 

100 


MORE    NEW   FRIENDS 

"  Where's  your  kitten  ?  "  asked  Nancy,  deter- 
mined to  strike  some  spark  of  friendliness  or  in- 
terest from  the  strange,  aloof  child. 

But  the  innocent  question  was  like  a  red  rag  to 
a  bull. 

"  Never  you  mind  about  that  I "  shrieked  the 
child.  "  Never  you  mind  I  "  She  turned  furi- 
ously on  the  nurse.  "  You  old  tattle-tale !  "  She 
stamped  her  little  white-shod  feet.  "  You  old 
tattle-tale  I " 

Thus  assailed,  the  drooping  nurse  was  galvan- 
ized into  sudden  energy  and  a  belated  realization 
of  her  responsibilities.  Slipping  the  dog's  leash 
over  her  arm,  she  seized  the  child  firmly  by  the 
shoulders. 

"  Clare,"  she  ordered,  "  you  are  not  to  speak  so 
to  the  lady,  or  to  me.  Tell  her  you  are  sorry." 

"  I'm  not !     I  shan't !  "  cried  the  child. 

"  Then  I  shall  have  to  tell  your  grandfather 
what  a  rude  little  girl  you've  been." 

No  answer. 

"  I'm  going  to  tell  the  lady  about  your  kitten." 
She  looked  up  at  Nancy.  "  It  was  taken  away, 
ma'am,  because  she  was  saucy  to  her  governess. 
She's  not  to  have  it  back  until  she  apologizes. 
And  when  I  tell  her  grandfather  about  this,  he'll 
take  the  dog  away  too,  I  fancy.  Say  you're  sorry, 
Clare." 

101 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  I  won't,  I  won't !  I  want  my  own  kitten  and 
my  own  dog.  I  want  my  own  father !  You  old 
tattle-tale,  you  I  " 

"  We'll  go  home  this  minute,  Clare." 

With  a  piercing  shriek  the  child  stiffened  her 
small  figure  and  refused  to  stir.  Finally  the  out- 
raged nurse  stooped  and  picked  her  up  and  ran 
with  her  down  the  path.  "  I'll  hold  my  breath  if 
you  don't  let  me  down,"  shrieked  the  child,  as  the 
pair  vanished,  with  the  puzzled  wolfhound  com- 
plicating matters  as  usual  by  trying  to  lag  behind. 

"  Poor  little  thing !  "  Nancy's  gray  eyes  were 
full  of  tears.  "  I  thought  little  children  were  al- 
ways happy.  Timmy  was."  She  wished  the 
twins  and  Margaret  were  there  to  adopt  the  little 
white  girl  as  their  prize  Waif  and  Stray.  Jeanne 
and  little  Sarah  seemed  creatures  of  joy  compared 
to  this  miserable  mite.  If  only  Nancy  could  go 
down  on  the  rocks  with  her,  she  felt  sure  she 
could  make  friends  with  the  child. 

She  was  still  a  very  sober  Nancy,  when  mother 
came  with  the  key  to  the  tea-chest — or  the  bird- 
seed box,  as  Hope  had  wanted  it  called. 

"  Will  you  ask  me  to  tea,  Nancy  ? "  she  de- 
manded gaily.  "  I'm  hungry  as  a  bear  after  my 
walk." 

Over  the  tea  Nancy  related  her  last  experience 
with  the  strange  child,  the  other  having  already 

102 


MORE    NEW   FRIENDS 

been  retailed  to  the  family.  "  I  wonder  if  she  can 
be  a  granddaughter  of  old  Judge  Smith's,"  said 
Mrs.  Lee.  "  He's  opened  '  Gray  Gables/  I  see.  I 
remember  hearing  that  his  youngest  son  had  a 
little  daughter  whose  mother  died  when  she  was 
born.  The  father  is  an  artist  and  lives  in  some 
queer,  far-away  place — South  America,  perhaps." 

"  This  little  girl  is  always  wailing  for  her 
father,"  Nancy  remembered,  "  and  she  looks  some- 
how different  and  foreign,  so  she's  probably  the 
'  Gray  Gables '  child.  I  wish  I  could  think  of 
something  comical  to  make  for  her.  Oh,  I  know  I 
A  peanut  doll  family  I  I  do  believe  she'll  like 
peanut  dolls,  and  if  she  doesn't  she's  welcome  to 
throw  them  down  and  stamp  on  them  if  she  wants 
to,  poor  little,  lonely  thing." 

Next  day  it  rained.  Nancy  buttoned  William 
and  Josephine  into  their  raincoats  and  sent  them 
off  to  the  Neck  after  peanuts  and  a  spool  of  wire. 
While  they  were  gone  she  interviewed  Rosa, 
planned  the  day's  meals,  and  mended  a  rip  in 
Dick's  bathing-suit.  The  children  cleared  a  table 
for  her  on  the  piazza,  found  paste,  string,  ink, 
some  bits  of  cloth,  and  sewing  utensils,  and  then 
watched  breathlessly  while  Nancy  turned  peanuts 
into  dolls'  bodies,  arms,  legs,  and  faces.  By  the 
time  a  "  family  "  of  six  grotesque  little  wriggling 
dolls  was  finished,  it  had  stopped  raining,  and 

103 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

Josephine,  who  had  been  tremendously  interested 
in  Nancy's  account  of  the  strange  child,  volun- 
teered to  take  the  dolls  up  to  "  Gray  Gables." 

"  But  I'm  not  sure  she  lives  there,"  objected 
Nancy.  Then  she  laughed  gleefully.  "  Yes,  do 
take  them,  Joe.  Her  name  is  Clare.  Don't  leave 
them  unless  it's  surely  the  right  place.  There  ! " 
When  she  was  talking  Nancy  had  printed  on  the 
peanut  dolls'  box  :  "  Another  little  bird  told  me 
you  lived  here. — LADY  BIRD-IN-A-CAGE." 

In  an  incredibly  short  time,  Josephine  was  back, 
a  shocked  expression  on  her  small  face. 

"She  lives  there  and  she's  an  awfully  rude 
little  girl,"  announced  Josephine  primly.  "She 
snatched  at  the  box,  and  she  never  said  '  thank 
you.'  And  when  the  lady  that  was  with  her  re- 
minded her  to  say  it,  she  wouldn't.  But  an  old 
man  came — is  he  her  father,  Nancy  ? — and  he 
thanked  me  and  took  me  out  to  see  the  pony. 
She  wouldn't  come.  Is  it  her  pony,  do  you  s'pose, 
Nancy?  It  looks  so  funny  and  little,  all  by  itself 
in  the  big  barn,  because  they  have  another  place  for 
all  the  automobiles.  And  the  old  man  asked  me 
to  come' again,  after  the  pony's  cart,  which  they've 
sent  for,  is  here,  and  drive  it  around.  But  if  I've 
got  to  play  with  that  rude  little  girl  I  don't  want 
to  go.  She's  too  little  for  me  to  play  with,  any- 
way." 

104 


I'VE    BEEN    ON    THE    LOOKOUT 


MORE    NEW   FRIENDS 

11  I've  been  on  the  lookout  I  "  Nancy  announced 
triumphantly  to  Mrs.  Miggs  when  that  lady  ap- 
peared a  little  later  in  the  day.  "  And  I've  found 
the  unhappiest  child  in  Halcyon." 

"  You  don't  say  !  "  Mrs.  Miggs's  little  black 
bonnet  fluttered  and  her  eyes  snapped  with  interest, 
as  Nancy  told  her  about  the  little  white  girl. 
"  The  dretful  child  !  I  certainly  pity  those  wimin 
that  has  the  care  of  her.  You  put  them  on  your 
list  of  unfortunates  too,  Miss  Nancy.  And  jest  to 
think  of  all  she's  got  to  make  her  happy,  with  that 
lovely  big  yard  to  play  in  and  the  old  Judge  turn- 
ing things  topsy-turvy  to  amuse  her,  so  I've  heard. 
I'll  ask  about  the  father  and  mother  as  I  have 
chances  to  do  so,  and  let  you  know." 

Mrs.  Miggs  rubbed  the  ankle  for  a  while  in 
silence.  "  Unhappiness  that  ain't  reasonable,"  she 
mused  at  last,  "  and  unhappiness  that  can't  be 
cured — they're  both  bad,  but  the  last  wrings  your 
heart.  My  little  lame  grandchild — she  must  be  just 
about  the  age  of  your  sister — she  lies  in  bed  as 
cheerful  and  contented,  thinkin'  how  she'll  be 
walkin'  again  before  long.  But  the  chances  is," 
Mrs.  Miggs  dropped  her  voice  to  the  tone  of  a  con- 
fidence,— "  the  chances  is  she'll  lie  there  the  rest  of 
her  life." 

"  Oh,  what  a  pity  1 "  Nancy's  soft  eyes  sym- 
pathized eagerly  with  her  new  friend.  "  Things 

105 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

like  that  make  little  troubles  look  like  nothing, 
don't  they  ?  My  little  white  girl  is  just  a  cry-baby, 
not  a  bit  worth  pitying,  compared  to  yours." 

"  Don't  you  say  that !  Don't  you  be  hard  on 
her !  "  warned  Mrs.  Miggs  zestfully.  "  My  grand- 
child's got  grit  and  good  sperits,  if  her  legs  won't 
work  right.  And  sometimes  I  think  grit  and  good 
sperits  is  worth  more  than  all  the  other  things  in 
this  world  put  together." 

"  I  couldn't  be  cheerful  if  I  knew  I  should  never 
walk  again,"  sighed  Nancy. 

"She  don't  know  it  yit,"  explained  Mrs.  Miggs. 
"  And  she  shan't  neither,  as  long  as  there's  any 
hope  in  her  an'  I'm  'round  to  chirk  her  up  with  a 
few  more  dretful  fibs.  But  if  she  ever  has  to 
know  the  worst,  she'll  keep  up.  She's  a  wonder, 
that  child  is."  Mrs.  Miggs  grew  confidential  again. 
"  It's  on  her  account  I'm  here  with  my  daughter 
'stead  of  up  to  Kittaning  Corners  as  usual.  She 
says  nobody  lifts  her  quite  so  easy  as  her  granny." 

"  Would  she  like  some  peanut  dolls,  like  the 
ones  I  made  for  my  child  ?  "  demanded  Nancy. 

"  She'd  adore  some,"  chirped  Mrs.  Miggs.  "  But 
my  dear,  what  would  set  her  up  most  would  be  to 
hear  about  this  Birdcage  of  yours  that  you  talk 
about.  That  story  you  made  of  it — that  that  other 
no-'count  child  laughed  at — my  lamb  loves  stories. 
If  you'd  jest  explain  it  a  little  more— I  ain't  much 

106 


MORE   NEW   FRIENDS 

at  these  pertend  games  myself,  but  I  enter  in  all  I 
can,  because  it  pleases  her  so." 

"  Why,  it  wasn't  anything  1 "  Nancy  repeated 
her  two  conversations  with  the  little  white  girl,  and 
then  sent  Mrs.  Miggs  out  to  inspect  the  Birdcage, 
so  that  the  little  masseuse  departed  in  a  state  of 
twittering  delight, — "jest  chock-full  of  interes tin' 
news,"  as  she  herself  described  her  condition. 


107 


CHAPTER  VI 

WAS    HE   THE   BURGLAR? 

"  OF  course  you're  all  to  go  out  in  Johnny's 
boat !  The  fireworks  will  look  a  lot  prettier  from 
the  water,  and  besides,  you  can  run  into  the  har- 
bor past  city  park  to  see  what  the  big  crowds  there 
are  doing,  and  then  past  the  Inn  to  see  the  dancing. 
I  shall  be  perfectly  happy  here  alone." 

"  Are  you  sure  you  won't  be  the  least  bit  nerv- 
ous ? "  Mrs.  Lee  asked  her  daughter  anxiously. 
"  Rosa  will  be  out  too,  you  know." 

"  Not  a  bit,"  persisted  Nancy  stoutly.  "  I'm 
never  nervous." 

"  Then  perhaps  we  will  all  go  for  a  little  while," 
decided  Mrs.  Lee.  "  I  can't  let  the  children  go 
unless  I'm  with  them,  and  having  them  on  the 
boat  is  by  far  the  easiest  way  of  looking  after 
them." 

"  Want  to  be  escorted  out  to  your  private 
summer-house,  Nancy  ?  "  asked  Dick.  "  I  say,  it's 
a  perfect  shame  you  can't  go  to  the  Inn  dance." 

Nancy  laughed  at  his  earnestness.  "  Is  Johnny 
Andrews  trying  to  cut  you  out  with  Alexandra? 
I'm  sorry  I  can't  be  on  hand  to  divert  his  atten- 

108 


WAS    HE    THE   BURGLAR? 

tion.  No  thank  you,  Dick.  I  think  I'll  keep  to 
the  piazza.  I  can  see  the  bay  almost  as  well  from 
here,  and  it  might  be  spooky  down  among  the 
trees  all  by  my  lonesome." 

"  You'll  have  Regent  to  protect  you,"  Dick  re- 
minded her,  stooping  to  pat  his  collie.  "  He's  too 
much  underfoot  in  the  boat." 

So  with  her  chair  drawn  up  to  the  table-lamp, 
the  Spoiled  Kitten — very  sleepy  from  frolicking 
with  Josephine — in  her  lap,  and  the  collie  curled 
obediently  at  her  feet,  though  he  was  fairly  quiver- 
ing with  eagerness  to  be  off  after  his  master,  Nancy 
prepared  to  enjoy  her  solitary  Fourth  of  July 
evening  as  best  she  might.  Secretly  she  was  a 
little  annoyed  at  the  family  for  leaving  her.  She 
wasn't  in  the  least  frightened  ;  fear  of  imaginary 
bogies  never  bothered  Nancy  Lee.  But  she  had 
had  a  rather  stupid  day,  for  Fourth  of  July  cele- 
brations had  displaced  the  regular  tennis  games, 
and  everybody  had  been  too  busy  to  think  much 
about  Nancy,  who  was  such  a  self-reliant,  contented 
invalid  nowadays  that  she  received  less  considera- 
tion, perhaps,  than  she  really  needed. 

"  I  do  hate  to  be  fussed  over,"  she  thought,  "  but 
all  the  same  I'm  awfully  sick  of  sewing  and  read- 
ing and  sitting.  I  believe  I'd  even  enjoy  parchesi. 
I  wonder  if  Josephine  would  have  stayed  if  I'd 
offered  to  play  her  beloved  game." 

109 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

The  Spoiled  Kitten  awoke  from  its  cat-nap,  purr- 
ing vociferously,  and  climbed  up  to  lick  Nancy's 
cheek  affectionately.  The  collie  yapped,  as  a  par- 
ticularly noisy  motor  went  by  on  the  road. 

"  Hush,  Regent ! "  Nancy  ordered,  and  was 
startled  at  the  sound  of  her  own  voice  breaking 
the  perfect  quiet  of  the  evening. 

A  shower  of  many-colored  sparks  flamed  out 
suddenly  over  the  water.  The  fireworks  had 
begun.  Nancy  looked  at  them,  read,  petted  the 
kitten,  called  to  Regent,  who  hated  the  detonations 
that  accompanied  the  fireworks  and  prowled  rest- 
lessly back  and  forth  on  the  long  piazza,  getting 
lost  in  the  darkness  at  either  end.  But  always  at 
the  sound  of  Nancy's  call  he  pattered  back  obedi- 
ently, and  curled  up  at  her  feet  in  response  to  her 
"  Charge,  Regent !  " 

Yawning,  Nancy  looked  at  her  watch.  Twenty- 
five  minutes  past  eight ;  mother  had  meant  to  be 
back  by  half-past.  But  very  likely  Mrs.  Andrews 
would  persuade  her  to  stay  out  longer.  Rosa  was 
almost  always  back  before  nine. 

"  And  then,"  thought  Nancy,  "  I  shall  go  to  bed. 
I  don't  care  much  for  these  fireworks.  Perhaps 
they're  having  some  wonderful  low  picture  effects 
that  I  can't  see,  but  the  ones  I  can  see  are  perfectly 
ordinary." 

"  Bow  —  wow  —  wow  —  wow  — wow  I  "  Regent 

no 


WAS    HE    THE    BURGLAR? 

leaped  up  and  bounded  along  the  piazza,  barking 
frantically. 

He  heard  the  family  down  at  the  dock,  Nancy 
decided  swiftly,  annoyed  at  herself  for  having 
jumped  and  thereby  frightened  away  the  Spoiled 
Kitten,  who  hissed  at  her  and  the  noisy  Regent 
angrily  from  the  piazza  railing. 

"  Come  here,  Regent.  Regent,  come  here  I  " 
called  Nancy  in  her  sternest  tones.  But  Regent, 
bristling  and  growling  out  at  the  darkest  end  of 
the  long  piazza,  paid  not  the  slightest  attention. 

His  actions  puzzled  and  worried  Nancy.  He 
wasn't  looking  toward  the  water-path.  He  never 
growled  unless  some  stranger  appeared  in  his 
home  domain,  and  not  often  then ;  he  was  a  very 
friendly  puppy. 

Ah  !  It  was  Rosa  of  course, — Rosa  and  a  beau, 
coming  in  at  the  little  back  gate.  Regent  had 
taken  a  curious  aristocratic  dislike  to  all  men  who 
came  in  at  that  little  back  gate — grocer's  boys, 
milk  and  meat  men,  or  Rosa's  suitors.  Dick 
suspected  that  the  fish-man  had  started  the  feud 
with  a  surreptitious  kick. 

"  Rosa  I  Rosa  I  Are  you  back  ?  "  called  Nancy, 
above  the  dog's  angry  growls.  "  Speak  to  Regent, 
please,  and  he'll  stop.  Oh,  be  still,  you  naughty 
dog  I " 

But  Regent  would  not  be  still.  Instead,  he 

in 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

added  an  agitated  running  accompaniment  to  his 
growls  ;  and  each  time  that  he  neared  Nancy's  seat, 
he  looked  anxiously  up  in  her  face  and  gave  vent 
to  an  agonized  howl  that  said  as  plainly  as  words  : 
"  Here's  trouble.  Come  and  see  to  it,  you  lazy 
girl  I  " 

"  Oh,  do  stop,  Regent ! "  cried  Nancy  desper- 
ately, after  one  such  appeal.  "  There's  nobody 
out  there  except  Rosa,  perhaps,  and  a  friend  of 
hers.  People  have  a  right  to  the  road.  They 
have  a  right  to  stand  and  talk  out  there.  Well, 
if  you  just  won't  be  quiet  till  I've  been  round  the 
corner  with  you,  I  suppose  I  must  go."  Nancy 
picked  up  her  crutches,  turned  on  all  the  piazza, 
lights,  and  followed  Regent,  who  careered  about 
joyously,  and  then,  running  ahead  to  the  porch- 
corner,  began  once  more  that  ominous  angry 
growling.  Bracing  herself  on  one  crutch,  Nancy 
laid  the  other  against  the  house  and  reaching 
down  caught  the  noisy  dog  by  the  collar. 

"  Sh,  Regent !  "  she  ordered.  "  Rosa,  are  you 
out  there  ?  Please  come  and  show  yourself.  Then 
Regent  will  stop." 

"  Is  there  trouble  here  ?  Is  some  one  calling  ?  " 
demanded  a  masculine  voice  from  the  shrubbery 
out  by  the  front  gate.  This  wasn't  Rosa's  suitor, 
with  his  funny  Swedish  brogue.  The  voice  that 
had  called  was  well  modulated, — a  gentleman's 

112 


WAS   HE    THE   BURGLAR? 

voice, — and  it  was  a  gentleman,  very  elegant  in 
white  tennis  flannels,  who  now  came  quickly  for- 
ward, blinking  in  the  bright  light  of  all  the  porch 
lamps. 

"  Your  dog  doesn't  seem  to  care  for  strangers," 
he  laughed.  "  I've  been  out  there  in  the  road  for 
several  minutes,  wondering  if  the  commotion  he 
was  making  was  just  fuss  or  real  trouble.  Are 
you  in  any  trouble  ?  Is  there  anything  that  I  can 
do?" 

"  Nothing,  I  think,  thank  you,"  said  Nancy, 
tugging  at  Regent's  collar.  "  This  silly  dog  has 
an  idea  that  something  is  wrong,  and  he  made  me 
come  out  to  see.  I  was  only  talking  to  him,  and 
then  I  called  to  Rosa — that's  our  maid — thinking 
he  might  have  heard  her  talking  by  the  other  gate." 

"  There's  no  one  else  anywhere  about  here,  I 
think,"  said  the  man  from  his  place  in  the  shad- 
ows on  the  little  path.  "  Your  dog  is  probably 
nervous  over  the  fireworks.  My  collie  always 
runs  for  the  cellar  on  the  evening  of  July  third, 
and  camps  there  till  the  last  gun  is  fired." 

Nancy  glanced  over  her  shoulder  at  the  bay. 
"  I  thought  the  fireworks  were  over  some  time 
ago.  Oh  ! " — as  Regent  gave  a  particularly  vi- 
cious tug  at  his  collar — "  I  think  you'd  better  go. 
He's  never  bitten  any  one,  but  he  certainly  acts 
queer  to-night." 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

"  Only  excitement  over  the  fireworks,"  insisted 
the  man  pleasantly,  moving  off  down  the  path. 
"  Nobody  about  here,  I'm  sure.  Good-evening, 
madam." 

"  Aren't  you  ashamed,  Regent,"  scolded  Nancy, 
"to  be  stirring  up  the  whole  neighborhood  and 
making  strange  gentlemen  think  something  dread- 
ful is  happening  to  us?  You  feel  better  now, 
do  you  ? "  For  the  dog  had  quieted  suddenly. 
"  Then  let's  go  into  the  house,  and  curl  up  to- 
gether on  the  couch  and  enjoy  ourselves  till  our 
absent  family  returns.  But  first  we've  got  to  call 
in  that  Spoiled  Kitten  which  you've  scared  most 
to  pieces  with  all  your  barking." 

Nancy  had  scarcely  settled  herself  with  her 
pacified  pets,  when  the  Lee  family  trouped  nois- 
ily in,  all  but  Dick,  who  had  stayed  behind  with 
Johnny,  the  Littles,  and  Cecilia,  to  enjoy  the 
dancing  at  the  Inn.  The  children  were  full  of 
the  fireworks,  and  Nancy  forgot  to  mention 
Regent's  odd  behavior  until  she  saw  Dick  at 
breakfast  next  morning. 

"  Next  time  you  go  off  and  leave  me,"  Nancy 
told  him,  "  please  take  your  dog,  or  at  least  put 
him  to  bed.  He  made  such  a  noise  that  a  strange 
man  came  in  to  ask  if  I  was  in  trouble." 

"He  did?"  Dick  was  all  interest.  "Now 
maybe  you  people  won't  fuss  so  much  about  his 

114 


WAS    HE    THE    BURGLAR? 

chewing  a  few  things  up  and  knocking  around 
the  place  a  bit.  Maybe  now  you'll  see  that  a 
dog's  worth  while." 

"  Worth  while  1 "  Nancy  scoffed.  "  He  made 
such  a  disturbance  that  I  had  to  get  up  and  go 
around  the  piazza  with  him.  And  even  then  he 
wouldn't  stop.  I  had  to  hold  him  with  all  my 
strength,  while  the  strange  man  was  talking  to 
me ;  and  it's  a  great  wonder  he  didn't  pull  me 
over  and  hurt  my  game  ankle." 

"  It's  quite  evident,"  Dick  told  her  loftily, 
"  that  you  haven't  heard  the  news.  The  Parkes 
had  burglars  last  night." 

"  Burglars  !  "  gasped  Nancy. 

"  Burglars  on  Halcyon  Point !  "  echoed  Mrs. 
Lee.  "  With  only  one  road  in,  and  a  watchman 
at  the  lodge  gate  to  see  that  no  suspicious  char- 
acters get  by,  and  two  policemen  to  patrol  the 
Point  at  night.  Nancy,  I  shall  never  leave  you 
alone  again ! " 

"  She's  perfectly  safe  with  Regent,"  asserted 
Dick.  "  He  evidently  heard  'em  prowling  around, 
looking  for  a  likely  window.  Regular  porch- 
climber,  the  Parkes'  burglar  was.  They  found 
his  marks  going  up  a  pillar  of  that  rose-trellis 
thing  they  have  along  the  back  of  the  house.  He 
climbed  up  that  way,  and  took  out  a  window- 
screen.  He  didn't  get  much,  because  Mr.  Parke 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

happened  to  come  home  late  from  the  city,  and 
went  right  up-stairs  and  scared  him  off." 

"  The  Smiths  at  the  big  house  they  too  haf  a 
tief,"  the  staid  Rosa  broke  into  the  breakfast  con- 
versation. "  The  milkman  say  the  little  girl  she 
scairt  mos'  to  death." 

"By  a  burglar,  Rosa?"  demanded  Dick  ex- 
citedly. 

"  Dey  tink  so,"  explained  Rosa.  "Only  he 
don'  take  nothin'.  He  chust  scare  de  little  girl. 
Nobody  else  hear  him.  But  de  milkman  tell  'em 
Mister  Parke  have  tief,  and  the  cook  she  say  that's 
what  it  is." 

"  Mr.  Parke  telephoned  the  Inn  last  night  for  a 
detective,"  explained  Dick.  "  That's  how  the 
news  spread  so  soon.  He  wants  to  get  back  a  pin 
that  Mrs.  Parke  is  fond  of — an  old  one,  I  guess  it 
was,  that  had  been  in  the  family.  And  then  he 
says  he  wants  the  man  caught  to  protect  the  other 
cottagers.  I  say  they'd  better  all  get  dogs." 

Nancy  shivered.  "  I  can't  believe  any  burglars 
were  around  here  last  night.  The  man  who  came 
in  to  see  about  Regent's  barking  said  there  was 
nobody  else  out  there.  He  thought  the  fireworks 
had  scared  Regent.  Besides,  he  does  bark  some- 
times just  for  mischief,  Dick.  You  know  he 
does." 

Dick  waved  melodramatically  at  the  tangle  of 

116 


WAS    HE    THE   BURGLAR? 

shrubbery  that  secluded  "  The  Crags  "  from  Light- 
house Road.  "  Do  you  really  think  any  one  could 
be  sure  at  night,  even  after  a  good  thorough  search, 
that  a  man  wasn't  hidden  in  there  ?  This  man 
who  heard  you  calling  Rosa  and  quieting  Regent 
— did  he  go  in  there  and  hunt  around  ?  Well, 
then,  why  don't  you  give  my  dog  credit  for  some 
sense?  He  barks  occasionally  at  nothing,  I'll 
admit ;  but  I  never  knew  him  to  growl  unless 
something  was  really  wrong.  I  say,  Nancy,  this 
fellow  who  talked  to  you — maybe  he  was  the 
burglar ! " 

"  Dick  I  "  Nancy  was  highly  indignant.  "  He 
was  no  more  like  a  burglar  than  you  are.  He  had 
on  white  flannels,  and  his  voice  sounded  perfectly 
nice  and  gentlemanly.  He  owns  a  "collie  himself, 
he  said." 

"  Stranger  things  have  happened,"  said  Dick 
oracularly,  "than  sweet-voiced  burglars  in  white 
flannels.  Were  they  absolutely  and  immaculately 
white,  Nancy  ?  Because  if  he  was  the  Parkes' 
burglar,  I  should  say  he  must  have  climbed  their 
rose-arbor  before  he  talked  to  you." 

"  I  can't  be  sure  how  white  his  clothes  were," 
said  Nancy  rather  crossly,  "  because  he  stood 
down  in  the  shadow." 

"There!"  Dick  triumphed.     "Describe  him." 

Nancy  considered.  "  He  was — about  as  tall  as 

117 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

you.  He  didn't  look  fat.  I  don't  think  he  had  a 
moustache.  He  looked  and  acted  perfectly  nice 
and  gentlemanly,  and  he  came  in  from  the  road 
because  he  thought  I  was  in  trouble.  I  saw  him 
coming  up  from  the  gate." 

"  He  wasn't  your  same  gallant  Green  Knight,  I 
suppose  ?  "  inquired  Dick  casually. 

"  Oh,  no  !  "  Nancy  assured  him.  "  That  boy 
wouldn't  bother  about  a  dog's  barking.  By  all 
we've  seen  and  all  we've  heard  about  him,  he's 
much  too  unsociable.  Besides,  it  wasn't  he ;  I 
could  see  plenty  well  enough  to  be  sure  of  that." 

"  Um — I  suppose  you're  right."  Dick  got  up 
briskly.  "  Johnny  and  Little  Peter  and  I  have  a 
date." 

"  Will  you  help  me  to  swim  to-day,  Dick  ? " 
demanded  Billy  anxiously. 

"  If  I'm  back  in  time,"  Dick  promised  cau- 
tiously. "  Can't  tell  how  long  we  fellows  may  be 
busy." 

"  Where  you  going,  Dick  ?  "  piped  curious  Jo- 
sephine. "  I  wanted  you  to  help  me  to  swim  too." 

"  Never  you  mind  where  I'm  going."  Dick 
strode  off  importantly. 

"  Tell  the  girls  to  come  over  and  play  tennis  or 
something,"  called  Nancy. 

"  I  will,  if  I  see  them.  Can't  keep  Johnny 
waiting  forever." 

118 


WAS   HE    THE    BURGLAR? 

On  the  edge  of  tears,  Nancy  watched  him  go, 
heard  Peter  sing  out,  "  You're  late,  old  man,"  and 
the  two  tramp  off  together,  laughing  over  something 
Dick  had  said.  Dick  had  been  so  superior  about 
Regent's  behavior,  and  now  for  him  to  flaunt  a 
secret  1  Boys  did  have  such  fun !  Nancy  sat  up 
straight,  and  thought  hard  of  the  little  white  girl, 
— more  miserable  than  usual  this  morning,  accord- 
ing to  Rosa's  account, — and  then  of  Mrs.  Miggs's 
grandchild  with  her  "  grit  and  good  sperits." 
The  rule  worked.  You  really  couldn't  weep 
because  your  brother  had  a  secret  and  forgot  to 
deliver  your  messages  when  you  thought  of  the 
unhappy  child  at  "  Gray  Gables,"  or  the  child 
with  grit  and  good  spirits  who  would  probably 
never  walk  again. 

"  I'm  going  down  to  the  Birdcage,"  she  told 
Josephine  and  Billy,  "  to  make  peanut  dolls  for 
a  little  sick  girl  that  Mrs.  Miggs  knows.  Will 
you  two  help  carry  the  things  I  want  ?  And  then 
why  don't  you  go  berrying?  There  must  be  lots 
of  raspberries  over  on  the  moor.  Maybe  you'd 
get  enough  for  a  shortcake." 

The  Birdcage  was  very  quiet  this  morning. 
Nancy,  her  chair  drawn  up  to  the  little  table, 
worked  busily  at  the  peanut  family.  Sure  that 
this  time  her  gift  would  be  appreciated,  she  took 
extra  pains  with  the  little  faces,  making  some  as 

119 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

absurd  and  some  as  lifelike  as  possible.  Upon  the 
dresses,  too,  Nancy  exercised  all  her  ingenuity. 
She  made  a  clown,  a  ballet  dancer,  an  absurd 
creature  as  nearly  as  possible  like  Jane  Learned  in 
the  costume  of  the  Frabjous  Tortoise,1  a  bride, — 
Nancy  tinkled  her  bell  for  Rosa  to  bring  her  out  a 
tulle  bow  for  the  bridal  veil, — and  lastly  twins, 
dressed  in  checked  gingham  with  sunbonnets  to 
match. 

Nancy  set  them  all  up  in  a  row  and  laughed 
heartily  to  herself  at  the  motley  array  they  made. 
Then  instead  of  merely  laying  them  away  in  their 
box,  she  fastened  wires  around  their  necks  and 
strung  them  up  in  a  dangling  row,  thus  construct- 
ing a  crude  sort  of  puppet-theater,  in  which  the 
peanut  company  disported  themselves  as  she  pulled 
the  strings. 

Nancy,  who  still  loved  childish  toys,  was  play- 
ing contentedly  with  her  puppets,  planning  a  play 
for  them  to  tell  Mrs.  Miggs  about,  when  her  at- 
tention was  attracted  by  a  snapping  sound  coming 
up  from  the  rocks  below — the  "  public  rocks " 
where  the  little  white  girl  had  stood. 

Nancy  craned  her  neck  to  look  over  the  Bird- 
cage railing.  A  girl  was  sitting  down  there  alone 
— a  girl  older  than  Nancy — about  the  age  of  the 
Fair  Oaks  seniors,  perhaps,  and  as  pretty  as  that 

lSee  "Nancy  Lee." 
1 2O 


WAS    HE    THE    BURGLAR? 

spoiled  senior  beauty,  Vera  Lawson.  She  was 
dressed  in  white,  and  she  wore  no  hat,  but  over 
her  head  she  held  a  gorgeous  parasol  of  gaily 
striped  silk,  tilting  it  against  the  sun  so  that,  for 
Nancy,  her  face  was  silhouetted  on  the  bright  silk. 
A  book  and  a  bag  lay  on  the  rock  beside  the  girl, 
but  she  sat  doing  nothing  except  staring  forlornly 
out  across  the  bay  and  throwing  little  pebbles 
idly  at  the  big  rock  in  front  of  her.  It  was  the 
click  of  the  pebbles  on  the  stone  that  Nancy  had 
heard. 

Nancy  gazed  down  admiringly  at  the  pretty 
girl  in  her  crisp  white  clothes  under  the  gay  um- 
brella. Yes,  she  was  even  prettier  than  Vera. 
There  was  more  poise,  more  character  in  her  face. 
Her  beauty  was  of  the  type  that  made  you  sure 
you  wanted  to  know  her — sure  you  would  find 
her  interesting  as  well  as  pretty.  Nancy  wished 
she  would  smile.  Her  soft  cheek  looked  as  if  it 
would  curve  adorably  when  something  pleased 
her.  But  instead,  quite  without  warning,  she 
dropped  her  pretty  face  on  her  lap  and  began,  very 
quietly  but  quite  undisguisedly,  to  cry. 

Nancy  drew  back,  horror-stricken.  "  You  be  on 
the  lookout ! "  Mrs.  Miggs  had  advised  her. 
"  You'll  find  Halcyon  Point  ain't  such  a  paradise 
of  joy  as  you  might  think."  Then  the  Birdcage 
had  revealed  the  little  white  girl,  and  now  there 

121 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

was  this  tragedy  hidden  under  the  flaunting  gaiety 
of  a  Roman-striped  umbrella — tragedy  with  such 
a  lovely  face  and  such  dainty  clothes.  There  was 
magic  in  the  Birdcage  lookout — black  magic,  re- 
vealing misery  in  the  most  unlikely  places. 
Nancy  felt  somehow  to  blame  for  the  pretty  girl's 
trouble  ;  as  if,  by  being  "  on  the  lookout,"  she  had 
been  a  cause,  and  not  merely  a  witness  of  her  woe. 
Still  the  pretty  girl  cried  on ;  Nancy,  drawn 
back  well  out  of  sight  from  below,  leaned  cau- 
tiously forward  occasionally,  hoping  she  would 
have  stopped.  Something  dreadful  must  be  the 
matter.  Perhaps  the  girl  had  heard  bad  news. 
Somebody  she  was  fond  of  had  died,  or — Vera  sug- 
gested this — her  family  objected  to  the  man  she 

loved,   or Nancy   longed   to   know,   longed 

to  comfort  the  beautiful  being.  But  perhaps  she 
would  be  crotchety,  like  the  little  white  girl. 
Certainly  she  wouldn't  want  any  one  to  see  her 
crying.  All  at  once  Nancy  hit  upon  a  plan,  and 
looked  eagerly  around  for  means  whereby  to  ex- 
ecute it.  She  couldn't  risk  the  peanut  dolls  ;  the 
paste  bottle  would  break,  the  scissors  were  too  small. 
It  must  be  the  book  she  had  been  reading,  poor 
thing  !  Well,  it  was  a  stupid  book,  and  it  belonged 
to  Nancy  ;  if  it  got  torn  or  broken  in  its  fall,  nobody 
else  could  find  fault.  Swiftly  Nancy  leaned  for- 
ward, lightly  she  tossed  the  stupid  book  over  the 

122 


WAS    HE    THE    BURGLAR? 

railing  and  down  to  the  rocks,  aiming  just  to  one 
side  of  the  gay  umbrella.  Then  she  dodged  back 
and  waited  ;  the  girl  must  be  given  a  chance  to  re- 
gain her  composure. 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  said  Nancy  loudly,  after  the 
minute's  pause,  and  leaned  cautiously  forward. 
Yes,  it  was  all  right  to  look  now ;  the  pretty  girl 
was  just  giving  her  flushed  cheeks  a  final  dab  with 
her  damp  handkerchief.  She  had  jumped  up  and 
stood  staring  in  a  startled  way  at  the  steep  bank 
above  her. 

"  Oh  I  "  she  gasped  when  she  saw  Nancy,  "  is  it 
your  book?  I  couldn't  imagine  where  it  came 
from." 

"  I'm  so  sorry  !  "  Nancy's  voice  was  sweet  and 
eager.  She  did  hope  this  big  unhappy  girl  would 
be  more  friendly  than  the  little  unhappy  one.  "  I 
dropped  it  somehow,  and  I  can't  come  down,  be- 
cause I've  sprained  my  ankle.  When  you  come 
back  to  the  road,  would  you  mind  just  leaving  it 
on  our  piazza  ?  I'm  sorry  to  bother  you,  but  it's 
only  a  step  I  " 

"  I'll  bring  it  right  now,"  said  the  pretty  girl, 
smiling  cordially  up  at  Nancy.  "  It's  no  trouble, 
and  you  won't  want  to  sit  there  doing  nothing. 
Which  way  do  I  get  up  to  you  ?  " 


123 


CHAPTER  VII 

A   WORLD   FULL  OF   QUESTIONS 

"  No,"  said  the  pretty  girl  decidedly,  "  I  don't 
like  Halcyon  very  well  so  far.  But  then,"  she 
added  honestly,  "  it's  not  the  fault  of  the  place." 

Upon  close  inspection  she  was  even  prettier  than 
she  had  looked  on  the  beach,  as  she  sat,  a  little 
breathless  and  disheveled  from  her  climb  over  the 
rocks,  under  the  fence,  and  straight  up  the  Lees' 
woody  bank  to  the  Birdcage.  For  she  had  received 
Nancy's  suggestion  that  she  come  round  by  the 
road  with  a  merry  "  Oh,  what's  the  use?  I  always 
prefer  short-cuts." 

Nancy  smiled  at  her  guest  admiringly.  "  When 
you  know  where  the  prettiest  places  are,  and  after 
you've  met  more  people  maybe "  Nancy  hesi- 
tated, because  the  pretty  girl  was  shaking  her  head 
decisively. 

"  Oh,  it's  not  that  I'm  bored  or  lonely,"  she  said. 
"  You  see,"  she  dimpled  again  adorably,  "  you  see 
I — well,  I  don't  feel  the  need  of  many  people  right 
at  present  because  I've  got  one  person — that  is, 
we've  been  married  almost  a  month  now.  We're 

124 


A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS 

spending  our  honeymoon  here — in  the  little  cot- 
tage out  close  by  the  lighthouse.  We've  taken  it 
through  August." 

"  What  a  lovely  long  honeymoon  !  "  commented 
Nancy  politely,  hastily  rejecting  one  hypothesis  as 
to  the  cause  of  the  girl's  tears. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl  curtly.     "  Can  you  cook?  " 

Nancy  nodded.  "  We  had  classes  at  Fair  Oaks 
School,  where  I  went  last  year,  and  splendid 
chances  to  practice  at  the  week-end  parties  that 
Miss  Marshall  let  us  have  in  her  bungalow.  Of 
course  I  can't  do  anything  now  but  sit,  so  I'm 
keeping  house  for  mother — planning  all  the  meals. 
I  think  that  part  is  fun  too — almost  as  much  fun 
as  the  cooking." 

"  Fun  ?  "  queried  the  pretty  girl  dubiously.  "  I 
think  all  parts  of  housekeeping  are  hard  work." 
She  rose  suddenly  and  picked  up  the  gay  parasol. 
"  I  must  be  going  on." 

"  Oh,  please  don't,"  Nancy  begged  her.  "  I'm 
tired  to  death  of  reading.  I  thank  you  for  bring- 
ing the  book  all  the  same,  but  I  hoped  you'd  stay 
a  long  while.  Of  course,  though " — she  sud- 
denly remembered  the  honeymoon — "  of  course 
you  want  to  get  back  to  your  husband." 

"  Oh,  it's  not  that !  "  explained  the  bride  hastily. 
"  I  mean,  he's  in  town  to-day  on  business.  I've 
been  down  to  the  trolley  with  him,  and  now  I 

125 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

ought  to  go  home  and  work."  She  glanced  at  her 
book  and  her  bag.  "  I  brought  those  along  on  his 
account.  He  was  afraid  I  was  going  to  be  lonely, 
so  I  pretended  I  would  spend  the  whole  morning 
on  these  rocks,  which  we  both  love.  But  really 
I'm  going  to  sweep  and  make  cake  and  plan  a  lot 
of  meals  ahead.  And  then  of  course  he'll  be  back 
for  dinner  to-night,  so  I  want  it  to  be  an  extra-good 
one.  But  perhaps  if  you're  here  some  other  day 
when  I  come  to  the  rocks " 

"  Oh,  yes,  please  do  come  again,"  Nancy  begged 
her  eagerly.  "  Have  you  a  good  story  ?  I  can't 
seem  to  find  any." 

The  bride  held  out  her  book  smilingly.  "  A 
new  treatise  on  comets  by  the  big  French  astron- 
omer," she  explained.  "  Want  to  borrow  it?  " 

"  It's  not  exactly  my  idea  of  summer  reading," 
laughed  Nancy.  "  I  prefer  cook-books." 

The  pretty  bride's  face  grew  suddenly  sober. 
"  I  wish  I  did  I  It's  a  woman's  business  to  prefer 
cook-books,  isn't  it?"  And  raising  the  bright 
parasol,  she  went  off  up  the  little  path. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  miss."  Somebody  down 
on  the  rocks  broke  in  upon  Nancy's  wonderments 
about  frivolous-looking  brides  who  read  treatises 
on  comets  in  French,  under  Roman-striped  parasols, 
and  stop  reading  to  weep  passionately  about — 
what? 

126 


A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS 

Again  Nancy  leaned  forward  over  the  Birdcage 
railing.  It  was  the  little  white  girl's  nurse. 

"  Oh,  good-morning,"  Nancy  called  back  to  her. 
"  Is  Clare  sick  ?  We  heard  how  the  burglar  fright- 
ened her  last  night,  and  I'm  so  sorry  about  it." 

"  Yes,  miss,  she's  in  a  state,  miss.  It  was  early 
this  morning  she  got  frightened.  She's  had 
highsterics  most  dreadfully,  and  the  doctor  says  he 
won't  answer  for  her  heart,  poor  lamb.  She  says 
it  was  no  burglar  but  sperits,  miss,  talking  in  her 
room — moaning  and  groaning  and  gibbering  like 
nothing  mortal.  And  they  surely  left  sperits' 
tracks,  which  is  none  at  all,  miss.  So  we're  quite 
upset,  not  knowing  what  to  think,  and  nothing 
seeming  quite  right  and  reasonable.  I've  a  note 
for  you,  miss,  but  I  don't  know  the  house  you 
belong  in,  and  besides  it  don't  seem  hardly  proper 
to  leave  a  note  at  a  door  when  it  ain't  addressed 
sensible." 

"  How  is  it  addressed  ?  "  asked  Nancy,  politely 
concealing  her  amusement. 

"  Lady-Bird-in-a-Cage."  The  nurse  read  it  out 
solemnly.  "  I  do  think  Miss  Simms — she  that's 
a  governess  with  book-learning  and  languages — 
might  have  done  better  than  that." 

"  But  she  didn't  know  my  name,"  laughed 
Nancy,  "  and  that  certainly  makes  it  awkward 
when  you  have  a  note  to  address." 

127 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  And  awkwarder  when  you  have  it  to  deliver," 
supplemented  the  nurse  primly. 

"  Oh,  you've  delivered  it  in  exactly  the  right 
way,"  Nancy  assured  her  gaily.  "  This  is  the 
Birdcage,  you  know,  this  summer-house  up  where 
I  am.  I  suppose — no,  of  course  you  couldn't  tie 
the  note  to  a  stone  and  throw  it  up." 

"  I'm  afraid  not,  miss,"  said  the  nurse  sadly, "  as 
I  have  nothing  to  tie  it  with." 

"  Then  I'm  afraid  you'll  have  to  go  back  to  the 
road  and  in  the  gate,  and — oh,  no,  I  know  the 
way ! "  Nancy  reached  a  long  arm  down  under 
the  rustic  bench  and  produced  a  ball  of  twine. 
She  had  had  it  brought  out  days  ago,  to  tie  up 
some  of  the  Birdcage  vines,  and  when  it  had  rolled 
away  into  a  remote  corner,  she  had  said  "  Bother!  " 
and  left  it  where  it  was.  But  now  the  advantage 
of  this  was  that  she  could  get  her  note  up  by  hold- 
ing the  end  of  the  string  and  tossing  the  ball  down 
to  the  staring  nurse-maid,  who  cried  "  My  stars  1  " 
excitedly  and  ran  forward  to  catch  it. 

"  You'd  better  have  thrown  me  the  end  and 
kept  the  ball,"  she  admonished  careless  Nancy. 
"  But  as  it  is,  I  can  make  it  fast.  I'm  to  wait  for 
the  answer." 

Nancy  hauled  up  the  ball  and  the  note,  and 
opened  the  latter  eagerly. 

"  Maybe  I'd  like  to  pertend  with  you,"  was 

128 


A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS 

printed  in  a  scrawling  childish  hand.  "  I  liked 
the  funny  dolls."  Here  the  writing  changed  to 
neat  script.  "  I  want  to  thank  you.  I  am  sick. 
Come  and  see  me.  Please. — CLAKISSA  SMITH." 

Below  was  added  : 

"Clare  grew  tired  over  the  note,  so  I  have 
finished  it  for  her.  Judge  Smith  bids  me  say  that 
it  would  be  a  great  favor  if  you  could  come  to  see 
the  child,  who  must  be  kept  absolutely  quiet  for 
some  days,  and  who  seems  to  have  taken  a  fancy 
to  you.  He  regrets  that  we  do  not  know  your 
name. — SARAH  SIMMS." 

"  A  fancy  to  me  I "  murmured  Nancy.  "  How 
does  she  act  when  she  dislikes  people,  I  wonder  I 
It  must  be  those  dolls  she's  taken  a  fancy  to." 
Nancy  leaned  over  the  railing.  "  Oh," —  she 
broke  off  with  a  laugh, — "  I  don't  know  your  name 
either,  and  it  certainly  is  awkward  not  to.  Mine 
is  Nancy  Lee." 

"  I'm  Susan,  Miss  Lee.     I'll  tell  Miss  Simms." 

"  Well,  Susan,"  Nancy  went  on,  "  I  haven't  any 
paper  or  pencil  out  here,  and  it  would  keep  you 
too  long  if  I  hobbled  back  to  the  house  and  wrote 
an  answer.  Besides,  I  don't  know  what  to  say.  I 
don't  see  how  I  can  go.  You  know,  perhaps,  that 
Clare  wants  me  to  come  and  see  her." 

"  Yes,  miss.  It's  her  one  request,  miss.  She's 
that  pitiful,  cryin'  for  her  father  and  shriekin' 

129 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

with  fear  of  them  sperits,  and  havin'  a  turn  with 
her  heart  ever  so  often." 

"  But  you  see,  I'm  lame,"  explained  Nancy, 
"  and  I'm  not  to  try  to  climb  in  and  out  of  a 
carriage  or  a  motor  yet.  Doctor  Jennings  says 
that's  the  surest  way  to  set  the  cure  back." 

"  The  same  would  apply  to  a  flying  machine,  I 
suppose,  miss,"  said  Susan  sadly.  "  Because  the 
Judge  would  have  that  or  anything  else  you  can 
name  sent  round  for  you.  He's  that  set  on  pleas- 
ing Clare." 

"  Would  she  like  to  have  my  younger  sister 
come?"  suggested  Nancy.  "She's  the  one  who 
brought  her  the  dolls." 

"  I  think  not,  miss.  She's  never  cared  for  other 
children." 

Nancy  considered.  "  Well,  perhaps  I  can  come 
soon,  and  this  afternoon  I'll  send  her  a  comical 

note  or  something.  And  perhaps You  tell 

her  I'm  very  sorry  I  can't  come  right  away,  and 
to  be  on  the  lookout  for  a  grand  surprise." 

"  Yes,  miss,  and  thank  you.  It's  diverting  she 
needs,  the  doctor  says.  But  with  her  mother  dead 
long  ago  and  now  her  father  marrying  again  and 
shipping  her  off — and  me  with  her — like  so  many 
old  clothes  he's  ashamed  of,  and  she  idolizing  her 
father  that's  always  idolized  her  and  spoiled  her 
something  shameful,  so  her  grandfather  says  she's 

130 


A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS 

a  little  savage,  and  Miss  Simms  says  if  things 

goes  on  like  this,  she'll  have  to  leave Oh, 

it's  a  beautiful  time  for  me,  miss,  held  responsible 
as  I  am,  in  a  way,  for  Clare's  tempers.  How  I  do 
run  on  !  Good-day,  miss,  and  thank  you  for  Clare 
and  Judge  Smith  too." 

It  was  fortunate  for  Nancy  Lee  that  Mrs.  Miggs 
arrived  by  appointment  soon  after  Susan's  depar- 
ture, for  Nancy  wanted  nothing  so  much  as  to  re- 
lieve her  mind. 

"  Your  rule  doesn't  work,  Mrs.  Miggs,"  she  in- 
formed that  little  lady  sternly. 

Mrs.  Miggs  gave  a  bird-like  start  of  astonish- 
ment. "  You  don't  say  now  !  What  rule  are 
you  referrin'  to,  Miss  Nancy  ?  " 

"  About  being  on  the  lookout,"  explained 
Nancy.  "  You  told  me  to  hunt  around  for  other 
people  that  had  troubles,  and  I  wouldn't  mind 
mine.  Well,  I  didn't  expect  to  find  any  others, 
but  I  needn't  have  worried.  I've  found  two  al- 
ready, besides  the  one  you  told  me  of.  And  now 
my  little  girl  has  been  terribly  frightened  and  is 
sick  and  wants  me  to  come  and  see  her.  And  the 
pretty  bride  I've  discovered  to-day  wouldn't  tell 
me  what  was  the  matter,  so  I  want  to  go  and  see 
her  and  find  out.  I  just  can't  stand  it  to  stay 
still  here  much  longer.  Being  on  the  look- 
out— it  doesn't  make  you  contented  1  It  just 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

stirs  you  up  and  makes  you  want  to  do  things  for 
people." 

"  I  notice  you  ain't  crying  about  it,  all  the 
samey,"  chuckled  Mrs.  Miggs. 

Nancy  chuckled  too.  "  No,  and  I  don't  feel  a 
bit  like  crying.  But  I  do  feel  all  stirred  up  and 
as  if  I  positively  couldn't  stand  to  sit  around  and 
let  things  go  on  without  me.  Can't  you  think  of 
a  remedy  for  that,  Mrs.  Miggs?  Can't  I  go  out 
driving  to-morrow?  " 

Mrs.  Miggs's  black  bonnet  bobbed  agitatedly. 
"  You  ask  Doctor  Sammy,  and  don't  say  I  advised 
it,  either.  My  remedy  is,  you  get  somebody  else 
on  the  lookout — somebody  to  do  the  walking, 
while  you  do  the  watching.  Can't  you  ?  " 

Nancy  considered.  "  The  children  are  too 
young,  and  Dick's  certainly  no  use  with  the  two 
people  I've  discovered  so  far.  And  mother  would 
say  *  You  absurd  child ! '  about  the  pretty  bride, 
and  if  Clare  was  rude  to  her  I  should  feel  sorry 
I'd  asked  her  to  go  there.  Maybe  the  girls  next 
door " 

"  The  very  ones  !  "  twittered  Mrs.  Miggs  eagerly. 
"  They'll  be  jest  as  interested  as  you  be.  But 
don't  you  go  urgin'  Doctor  Sammy  to  let  you 
out  too  soon.  He's  easy-goin'  by  nature.  Don't 
you  tease  him.  I'll  be  round  day  after  to-morrow, 
when  I  hope  not  to  be  so  rushed,  and  then  I'll 

132 


A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS 

hear  all  about  the  new  case  you've  discovered,  and 
I'll  tell  you  about  my  grandchild  and  those  dolls. 
Did  you  say  this  new  case  was  a  bride  ?  I  admire 
to  hear  of  brides,  and  I  notice  they  ain't  always 
blissfully  happy,  either.  But  a  reely  miserable 
bride  is  a  thing  I  never  come  acrost,  I'm  happy  to 
state." 

When  Cecilia  and  Alexandra  appeared,  not  long 
before  luncheon,  their  obvious  purpose  was  to  se- 
cure Dick  for  an  afternoon  tennis-match. 

"  Peter's  gone  off  and  wouldn't  promise  to  play," 
explained  Cecilia,  "but  if  Dick  will  and  Peter 
won't,  we  are  going  to  telephone  John  Andrews." 

"  They're  all  three  off  together,"  Nancy  informed 
them,  "  and  Dick  wouldn't  tell  me  where  he  was 
going.  I  don't  believe  you  can  count  on  any  of 
them.  Besides,  I've  got  a  lovely  plan  that  would 
take  up  your  afternoon."  And  without  bringing 
in  Mrs.  Miggs  or  the  Birdcage — still  a  secret  from 
the  young  people  next  door — Nancy  told  them 
about  the  little  white  girl's  forlorn  plight  and 
then  about  the  tearful  bride,  who  hated  house- 
keeping and  who  was  spending  a  lonely  day  out 
at  the  cottage  by  the  lighthouse. 

"  So,"  concluded  Nancy,  "  I  thought  if  Alexan- 
dra would  go  to  see  Clare  and  take  her  a  comical 
message  from  me,  and  show  her  how  to  make  a 
puppet-theater  out  of  her  peanut  dolls, — because 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

she  can  play  that  way  so  nicely  in  bed, — and  Ce- 
cilia, if  you'd  go  out  and  call  on  that  girl  and  feel 
around  to  find  out  if  there's  any  trouble  out 
there  that  we  can  help  about, — why,  I  should  be 
of  some  use  in  the  world.  I  had  a  feeling  that 
the  bride  wanted  to  tell  me  something,  only  she 
couldn't  quite  make  up  her  mind  to.  She's  dear, 
Cecilia,  and  Clare  is  sort  of  winning  somehow, 
though  she's  so  naughty.  I'm  dying  to  see  the 
inside  of  '  Gray  Gables  '  myself." 

Nancy  chattered  on  swiftly,  fighting  against  the 
constrained  silence  that  seemed  to  have  enveloped 
the  two  cousins. 

"  Oh,  Nancy,  I  couldn't  go  to  see  that  queer 
child,"  began  Alexandra  finally.  "  You  say  she's 
a  peevish,  irritable  little  thing.  I  should  hate 
her.  I  don't  care  for  children  unless  they're  very 
attractive.  And  then  the  '  Gray  Gables '  people 
are  so  awfully  rich  that  it  would  seem  like  push- 
ing in  to  go  there." 

"  Well,  I'm  sure  Aunt  May  wouldn't  let  me  go 
to  call  on  a  strange  family,"  put  in  Cecilia. 
"  She's  very  particular.  Besides,  I  should  feel  so 
silly.  What  could  I  say  when  I  got  there  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Cecilia,  you  can  always  think  of  plenty  to 
say,"  urged  Nancy.  "  That's  why  I  picked  you 
out  for  the  bride.  And  Alexandra  makes  beauti- 
ful animal  pictures.  She  did  some  one  day  for 

134 


A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS 

Bill  and  Joe.  I'm  sure  any  child  would  love 
them."  Nancy  felt  suddenly  that  her  case  was 
lost.  "  But  of  course  if  you  don't  want  to  do  it, 
let's  not  think  any  more  about  it,"  she  went  on 
bravely.  "  And  as  soon  as  Dick  comes,  I'll  ask 
him  about  playing  tennis.  He'll  run  over  and  let 
you  know." 

"  You  aren't  peeved  with  us,  Nancy  ?  "  asked 
Alexandra  anxiously.  "  You  see,  it  looks  differ- 
ent to  you,  because  you  know  these  people." 

"  Um — yes,  of  course,"  agreed  Nancy.  "  Only 
— well,  I  guess  I  can't  explain  it.  If  Jane  Learned 
was  here,  she'd  make  you  crazy  to  go." 

"  Not  me,"  declared  cock-sure  Cecilia.  "  But 
who's  Jane  Learned  ?  " 

"  She's  a  girl  I  knew  at  Fair  Oaks  School,"  ex- 
plained Nancy.  "  She's  one  of  the  Learned  twins 
— the  big  one.  She's  tall  and  lank  and  awkward. 
Her  hair  is  straight  and  sandy  and  it  won't  stay 
fixed." 

"  Why  doesn't  she  curl  it  ?  "  demanded  Alexan- 
dra, smoothing  her  carefully  waved  hair,  kept  in 
perfect  order  by  a  scarcely  visible  net. 

Nancy  laughed.  "  She  won't  bother.  Looks 
aren't  Jane's  strong  point.  She  leaves  them  to 
Christina,  the  little  twin." 

"  Um  1 "  mused  Cecilia,  tossing  her  head  with 
its  loosely  arranged,  rather  untidy  tresses.  "  I  hate 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

bothering  with  nets  and  things.  Aunt  May  is  al- 
ways scolding  me  for  not  bothering  more.  But  I 
do  like  to  get  stylish  lines.  Just  now  this  French 
twist  is  all  the  rage." 

"  I  wish  you'd  learn  to  do  it  properly,"  cut  in 
Alexandra.  "  Yours  is  more  of  a  French  snarl." 

Cecilia  shrugged.  "  All  right.  Only  what  I 
wish  is  that  Nancy  would  tell  us  why  the  highly 
unattractive  person  named  Jane  Learned  would 
make  us — you  at  least — want  to  do  queer  things." 

Nancy  considered.  "  I  don't  know  why.  She 
likes  queer  things  herself,  and  she  makes  them 
seem  so  fascinating  that  you  forget  they're  queer." 

Cecilia  considered.    "  Is  she  popular  with  boys  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  Nancy  told  her.  "  I 
never  saw  her  with  any  except  once  when  she  vis- 
ited me,  and  then  I  was  having  too  much  fun  to 
notice." 

"  She  sounds  freaky,"  declared  Cecilia. 

"  C.  I  "  Alexandra  remonstrated. 

"  If  she  does  " — Nancy  struggled  hard  to  keep 
her  temper — "  it's  because  I  can't  make  you  see 
her  any  better  than  I  can  make  you  see  what  I 
mean  about  going  to  call  on  Clare  and  the  bride." 

"  Yes,  that's  all  the  trouble,"  agreed  Cecilia 
placidly,  rising  to  go.  "  You  say  this  Jane  is  won- 
derful, but  you  don't  make  us  see  it.  You  won't 
forget  to  give  our  message  to  Dick,  will  you  ?  " 

136 


"  I  for  one  should  like  to  meet  your  friend, 
Nancy,"  added  Alexandra,  as  she  followed  Cecilia. 

"But  she  said  it  just  for  politeness,"  thought 
Nancy  hotly,  when  they  were  gone.  "  Oh,  how  I 
wish  the  twins  were  here !  I  wonder  if  mother 
would  mind  my  having  them." 

"  Hi,  Nancy  Lee  !  "  It  was  Dick,  back  from  his 
mysterious  expedition.  "  I  say,  I'm  going  to  tell 
Rosa  to  hustle  up  luncheon.  I  want  to  get  back 
to  my  job." 

"  Cecilia  and  Alexandra  want  you  to  play  tennis 
this  afternoon,  Dick.  I  said  you'd  let  them  know." 
Nancy  delivered  the  message  faithfully  the  mo- 
ment Dick  appeared  back  from  his  mission  to 
Rosa. 

"  Bother  tennis  I "  Dick  was  too  excited  to 
maintain  his  distant  pose  of  the  morning.  "  I  tell 
you,  I've  got  a  job — and  thereby  hangs  a  tale  that 
would  make  your  hair  curl,  Nancy  Lee,  if  it  wasn't 
pretty  kinky  already.  For  unless  Little  Peter  and 
Johnny  Andrews  and  myself  are  highly  mistaken, 
you've  seen  Halcyon's  burglar.  In  fact,  you  know 
more  about  him  than  anybody  in  these  parts." 

"  Oh,  Dick !  That  nice  polite  man  in  white 
clothes  I  You're  absurd." 

Dick  shrugged  and  smiled  at  his  sister  loftily 
through  half  closed  eyes.  "  That  theory  is  pretty 
well  exploded,  my  child.  As  we  three  fellows 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

were  on  our  way  over  to  examine  the  porch-climb- 
er's marks  on  the  Parkes'  pergola,  we  saw  something 
that  gave  us  another  clue.  And  on  the  strength 
of  it  we've  been  hired  by  the  august  owner  of*  Gray 
Gables  '  to  '  pursue  our  investigation,  and  if  any- 
thing comes  of  it  to  send  the  bill  to  him  and  not 
be  afraid  to  charge  top-prices,  either.'  I'm  quot- 
ing his  august  judgeship's  exact  words." 

"  Oh,  Dick,  do  begin  at  the  beginning  ! "  im- 
plored Nancy.  "  Of  course  you  know  very  well 
that  I  can't  understand  you  when  you  mix  every- 
thing up  like  this." 

"  Well,  exercise  a  little  imagination,  my  child," 
suggested  Dick  blandly. 

"I  haven't  any,"  sighed  Nancy.  "Please, 
Dick !  " 

"  All  right."  Dick  thawed  obligingly,  as  his 
eye  fell  on  Nancy's  bandaged  ankle.  "  I'll  tell  you 
exactly  what  happened,  seeing  it's  you.  I  mean 
seeing  it  was  you  who  really  discovered  this  clue. 
Well,  I  mean  if  it  hadn't  been  for  your  running  on 
to  him  a  while  ago  we  never  should  have  thought 
of  trailing  this  suspect.  But  promise  you  won't 
tell  the  other  girls." 

"  Certainly  not,"  Nancy  promised  with  a  good 
deal  of  inward  satisfaction.  "  Hadn't  you  better 
rush  over  and  tell  them  you  won't  play  tennis, 
Dick  ?  " 

138 


A  WORLD  FULL  OF  gJJESTIONS 

"  I  guess  they'll  gather  it  pretty  fast  from  Little 
Peter,"  chuckled  Dick.  "  If  you  think  I'm  a  bit 
excited,  you  should  see  him." 

"  Oh,  Dick,  please  begin,"  begged  Nancy. 

"All  right."  Dick  settled  himself  to  a  business- 
like recital.  "  We  fellows  planned  last  night,  when 
we  heard  about  the  Parkes'  burglary,  to  go  over 
this  morning  and  look  at  the  porch-climber's  tracks. 
We'd  never  seen  any.  And  this  morning  afterkl'd 
heard  about  your  experiences  with  my  dog,  I  told  the 
fellows  that,  after  we'd  seen  them,  we'd  come  back 
here  and  hunt  for  more  to  match.  That  wouldn't 
absolutely  fasten  the  guilt  on  White-Flannels,  but 
it  would  prove  that  Regent  wasn't  a  fool." 

"  Well,  have  you  found  some  marks  here?  "  de- 
manded Nancy  impatiently. 

"Haven't  looked  yet.  I  will,  though,  after  I've 
finished  this  tale  that  you're  so  crazy  to  interrupt. 
We  were  going  along  by  Fresh  Pond  on  that  little 
short-cut  path,  when  we  saw  somebody  moving 
down  in  the  bushes.  Peter  thought  it  was  a  boy 
going  for  pond-lilies,  and  he  yelled  to  him  to  take 
some  to  their  house,  because  his  mother  was  anx- 
ious to  have  some.  The  fellow  ducked  down 
among  the  tall  bushes  and  when  he  was  well  out 
of  sight  he  yelled  back,  '  Sorry,  but  I  have  no 
lilies.'  He  was  so  very  mysterious,  ducking  down 
like,  that  we  got  curious — Johnny  specially.  So 

139 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

we  did  a  bit  of  scouting  off  the  path  and  down 
through  the  tangle  of  shrubs  until  we  got  in  sight 
of  our  man.  We  watched  him  for  a  whole  long 
hour  by  Johnny's  ticker,  and  it  didn't  seem  a  min- 
ute. Guess  who  he  was." 

"  The  Green  Knight,  of  course,"  supplied  Nancy 
breathlessly. 

"  Now  you're  getting  on  a  bit,"  nodded  Dick 
approvingly.  "  He  had  on  his  badge  of  office  all 
right,  including  the  feather.  He  also  had  a  tape- 
line,  a  coil  of  rope,  a  compass,  and  a  big  sheet  of 
paper.  He'd  just  got  down  there,  evidently,  when 
Peter  yelled  to  him.  Well,  first  he  spread  the 
paper  out  on  a  flat  stone,  and  laid  on  a  lot  of 
pebbles  to  keep  it  flat — he  was  fussy  about  its 
being  perfectly  smooth.  Then  he  knelt  down  in 
front  of  it  and  stared  for  a  while,  first  at  the  paper 
and  then  at  the  surrounding  scenery.  He  almost 
saw  us  once,  when  he  turned  suddenly  to  look 
behind  him.  Well,  after  a  while  he  went  up  to  a 
thorn-apple  tree  not  far  from  the  edge  of  the  pond. 
He  crawled  in  under  the  branches  and  fastened 
his  rope  to  a  stump  near  the  trunk.  Then  he  laid 
down  the  rope  on  the  ground  in  a  line  from  the 
stump  to  a  big  rock  on  the  shore  of  Fresh  Pond. 
Then  he  ran  back  and  forth  with  his  tape-line, 
measuring  the  distance,  we  took  it.  Then  he 
stared  some  more  at  the  paper,  and  went  through 

140 


.A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS 

the  whole  performance  again,  starting  from  another 
stump  this  time,  near  the  thorn-apple.  When  he 
got  back  to  his  paper  again,  he  stopped  his  whis- 
tling, which  he'd  been  at  steadily  since  he  began 
his  performance,  and  he  said,  *  Oh,  shucks  1 '  so 
loud  that  we  could  hear.  Then,  after  he'd  waited 
a  while,  he  said,  '  Crickets  I '  And  then  he  started 
all  over  again,  from  a  willow  tree  close  to  the  edge 
of  the  pond.  We  left  then,  because  Little  Peter 
still  wanted  to  go  to  the  Parkes'  and  see  the 
burglar's  tracks." 

"  Do  look  and  see  if  we've  got  some  too !  " 
begged  impetuous  Nancy. 

"  You  wait  I  "  adjured  Dick.  "  The  best  of  this 
tale  is  yet  to  come.  That  old  millionaire  that's 
owned  '  Gray  Gables '  for  ten  years  and  never  saw 
it  till  last  week,  so  he  told  us,  was  over  at  the 
Parkes'  too,  looking  at  the  burglar's  trail.  He's  a 
funny  old  fellow — acts  more  like  a  jumping  jack 
than  a  judge.  But  every  jump  he  makes  counts, 
and  you  can  see  in  two  minutes  that  he's  smart 
enough  to  get  a  million  dollars  or  anything  else 
he  specially  wants." 

"How  exciting  to  have  talked  to  a  real  live 
millionaire  !  "  sighed  Nancy  enviously. 

"'He  didn't  talk  at  first,"  amended  Dick.  "  He 
just  ran  around  and  looked  and  muttered  to  him- 
self. Then  all  of  a  sudden — Mr.  Parke  was  in 

141 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

town  and  Mrs.  Parke  had  gone  into  the  house  for 
something — he  ran  up  to  Little  Peter.  *  Very 
queer  burglar,  this  1 '  he  said.  '  Why  so,  sir  ? ' 
asked  Peter.  The  old  man  acted  awfully  mad 
about  something.  '  One  moment,  if  you  please,' 
he  roared,  as  if  he  thought  Peter  had  said  some- 
thing he  shouldn't." 

"  Oh,  Dick  1 "  Nancy  broke  in  excitedly. 
"  That's  just  like  our  John  Smith — Boss  Smith, 
you  know,  out  at  Camp  Sixty-Nine,  where  Timmy 
lives.  He  hated  to  have  you  ask  questions.  He 
wanted  you  to  wait  and  see  what  he  had  to  say." 

Dick  nodded.  "  Judge  Smith  is  just  like  that. 
After  he'd  stared  at  Peter  hard  enough  to  bore 
holes  in  him " 

"  Oh,  Dick,  that's  exactly  like  Boss  Smith ! 
Do  you  suppose  they  can  possibly " 

"  No,  silly  !  "  Dick  cut  her  short.  "  The  Smith 
family  is  too  big  to  have  its  family  resemblances 
count  for  much.  Besides,  the  point  of  my  story 
is  that  after  he'd  bored  enough  holes  to  please  him 
in  Peter,  he  turned  and  bored  a  few  in  Johnny 
and  me,  only  Johnny  wasn't  at  all  rattled  by  his 
performances.  Then  he  asked  us  if  we  were  to- 
gether and  we  said  yes,  and  then  he  asked  us 
what  was  our  connection  with  the  case,  and  Johnny 
winked  at  Peter  and  me  and  said  we  were  detect- 
ives from  the  city.  Now,  don't  look  shocked, 

142 


A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS 

Nancy  Lee.  That's  perfectly  true,  and  it  wasn't 
necessary  to  say  that  we  were  only  amateur  detect- 
ives, or  that  our  families  were  spending  the  sum- 
mer here." 

"  No-o-o."  Nancy  was  still  rather  doubtful. 
"  But  it  didn't  give  a  very  true  impression." 

Dick  chuckled.  "  It  certainly  impressed  Judge 
Smith  all  right,  exactly  as  we  hoped  it  would. 
He  looked  hard  at  us  for  a  while  longer,  and  then 
he  asked  us  if  we  had  time  to  come  over  to  his 
place  and  he'd  tell  us  what  happened  there.  Of 
course  we  went.  His  burglar, — if  he  was  a  burglar, 
— took  nothing.  Nobody  heard  him  but  the  little 
girl,  who  sleeps  on  the  top  floor  in  a  big  room  with 
six  windows.  Her  nurse-maid,  who  sleeps  next 
door  and  ran  in  when  the  child  screamed,  thought 
perhaps  there  was  a  queer  noise  mixed  with  the 
first  scream  she  heard.  The  little  girl  said  it 
wasn't  a  human  voice — it  was  a  ghost's.  She 
must  be  a  queer  kid.  She's  always  lived  in  Italy 
and  South  America,  and  she  speaks  lots  of  lan- 
guages and  believes  all  the  stuff  that  an  old  Italian 
nurse  taught  her.  The  old  man  is  hot  about  that 
idiotic  nurse,  as  he  calls  her.  But  at  the  same 
time  he's  sure  the  little  girl  heard  something, 
and  didn't  just  dream  it.  We  fellows  size  it 
up  that  he  heard  something  himself,  only  he 
thinks  it  wouldn't  be  becoming  for  a  judge  and 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

a  millionaire  to  get  himself  mixed  up  with  a  ghost 
story." 

"  Well  ?  "  questioned  Nancy,  as  Dick  appeared 
to  be  lost  in  meditation. 

"  Oh,  yes !  "  Dick  came  back  to  the  situation 
with  a  start.  "  Did  I  say  we  were  out  on  the  road 
all  this  time?  Judge  Smith  didn't  want  to  do 
anything  to  stir  up  that  little  girl,  so  he  decided 
not  to  take  us  inside,  where  she  might  see  us. 
Well,  all  of  a  sudden  Johnny  said  to  the  old 
Judge  :  '  Sir,  do  you  think  this  is  the  work  of  a 
professional  ? '  '  I  do  not/  snapped  the  Judge. 
1  Well,  neither  do  I,'  said  Johnny — snapping-turtle 
manners  and  cutting  stares  can't  put  anything 
over  on  Johnny,  you  know.  '  And  moreover,'  he 
said,  '  we  already  have  a  clue,  my  partners  and  I, 
and  I  doubt  if  any  other  detectives  that  may  be 
working  on  the  case  have  noted  it.  Now,  how 
would  you  like  to  have  us  follow  it  up  for  you  ? ' 
We  were  awfully  proud  of  Johnny,  though  we 
didn't  know  what  in  the  world  he  meant.  Well, 
the  upshot  was  the  Judge  snorted  and  poohed  and 
said  good-bye,  and  then  ran  back  and  engaged  us 
to  catch  whatever  was  haunting  '  Gray  Gables  '  on 
the  night  of  July  Fourth." 

"  But  what  was  Johnny's  clue  ? "  demanded 
Nancy  anxiously. 

Dick  stared  at  her  in  resentful  wonder.  "  Can't 

144 


A  WORLD  FULL  OF  QUESTIONS 

you  put  two  and  two  together  ?  "  he  demanded  in 
his  turn.  And  then,  as  the  children  came  running 
from  the  house,  he  closed  the  subject  with  a  solemn 
warning.  "  Not  a  breath  of  this  to  anybody,  re- 
member. I  only  told  you  because — oh,  to  let  off 
steam,  I  guess." 

But  Nancy,  woman-like,  tried  for  the  last  word. 
"  Oh,  Dick,"  she  whispered,  "  you  don't  think  my 
nice  Green  Knight  is  a  burglar  ?  He  can't  be.  I 
don't  see " 

"  Neither  do  I — yet,"  snapped  Dick.  "  But  he's 
our  clue." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  RIDE  IN  A  SEDAN  CHAIR 

THE  Learned  twins  were  coming  to  Halcyon  to 
visit  Nancy  Lee  I  They  had  been  asked  and  had 
accepted  long  before  the  day  when  Nancy,  despair- 
ing of  playing  her  lookout  game  alone,  and  find- 
ing Cecilia  and  Alexandra  provokingly  unrespon- 
sive, had  decided  that  she  needed — oh,  bitterly 
needed  1  — Jane's  genius  for  making  the  com- 
monplace picturesque  and  the  picturesque  su- 
premely fascinating.  On  one  of  those  first  miser- 
able days  before  Mrs.  Miggs  came  to  start  Nancy 
off  with  her  challenging  "  You  be  on  the  lookout  I  " 
Mrs.  Lee  had  written  the  twins. 

"  Poor  Nancy  was  hunting  for  me  on  the  rocks," 
she  told  them,  "  to  ask  my  permission  to  invite 
you  here  for  a  fortnight's  visit,  when  she  sprained 
her  ankle.  So  you  see  we  are  all  three  a  little  re- 
sponsible, and  the  sooner  you  can  come  the  better." 

Jane  was  in  favor  of  starting  immediately  on 
receipt  of  Mrs.  Lee's  appeal,  but  Christina  insisted 
upon  ten  days'  delay.  "  We  need  some  pretty  new 
summer  clothes,"  she  declared,  "  and  if  Nancy  is 

146 


A    RIDE    IN   A    SEDAN   CHAIR 

going  to  be  laid  up  for  a  month  at  least  and  perhaps 
longer,  she'll  enjoy  us  just  as  much  in  ten  days  as 
she  will  now,  and  perhaps  even  more." 

The  course  of  events  proved  how  right  was  little 
Christina's  theory.  For  the  ten  days  were  nearly 
gone  before  Nancy,  overwhelmed  by  a  longing  for 
some  really  sympathetic  spirits,  timidly  hinted  at 
what  she  wanted  so  much,  and  was  met  with  her 
mother's  laughing  rejoinder,  "  My  dear,  I  was 
beginning  to  wonder  if  I'd  made  a  mistake  in  ask- 
ing the  Learneds  to  come.  I'm  really  much  re- 
lieved to  find  that  you  still  want  them,  in  spite  of 
the  friends  you've  made  next  door  and  all  the 
things  you've  found  to  do  for  me  and  the  chil- 
dren." 

"  Mother,"  said  Nancy  solemnly,  "  I'm  trying  to 
do  my  duty,  and  the  girls  next  door  are  fun 
enough,  but  the  twins  are  just  pure  joy — gulps  of 
joy,  as  that  funny  Hope  Haskins  would  say." 

There  were  still  two  days  to  wait,  and  they 
seemed  long  to  Nancy,  with  nobody  to  be  feet  for 
her  in  the  Lookout  cases.  So  she  was  delighted, 
when,  early  on  the  second  afternoon,  Hope  Haskins 
trilled  her  unmistakable  "  whu-whu  "  along  the 
road  and  appeared  herself  at  the  Lees'  door  a 
moment  later. 

"  I  have  an  afternoon  off,"  she  beamed  joyously. 
"  A  whole  one !  I'm  going  to  walk  around  the 

147 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Point,  stopping  at  all  the  loveliest  places.  This  is 
my  first  stop." 

"  Then  I  suppose  you  want  to  rush  right  out  to 
the  Birdcage,"  laughed  Nancy. 

"  Oh,  could  we  ? "  Hope's  great  brown  eyes 
flashed  with  delight.  "  You  see,"  she  explained, 
as  she  danced  along  by  Nancy's  side  down  the 
woodsy  path,  "  you  see,  I  needn't  even  be  back  at 
five  to-day.  My  tables  have  both  gone  on  a  picnic. 
I  packed  them  up  a  perfectly  beautiful  supper.  I 
was  so  grateful  to  them  for  all  going  the  same 
night ! " 

"  But  isn't  this  a  Dolphin  afternoon  ? "  asked 
Nancy. 

Hope  nodded  solemnly.  "  Yes.  But  I  knew 
Miss  Willis  would  be  glad  to  let  me  off  and  save 
my  pay.  In  fact,  I'm  expecting  any  day  to  have 
her  tell  me  that  I'm  not  needed  any  longer.  I'm 
not,  you  know.  Do  you  think  I  ought  to  tell  her 
so,  Nancy,  instead  of  waiting  for  her  to  tell  me?  " 

"  I  don't  understand,"  parried  Nancy.  "  Has 
there  been  some  trouble  ?  " 

"  One  big  trouble,"  announced  Hope  somberly, 
settling  herself  in  the  chair  opposite  Nancy's  and 
staring  off  dreamily  at  the  shimmering  bay. 
"  The  trouble  with  that  shop  is  that  it  stays  so 
new.  I  used  to  think  at  home,  where  all  our 
things  are  old  and  shabby  and  worn  out, — I  used 

148 


A    RIDE   IN  A    SEDAN  CHAIR' 

to  think  that  to  have  all  new  things — good  new 
things  that  would  stay  new — would  be  too  splen- 
did for  anything.  But  it's  not,  always.  Oh, 
no  1 "  sighed  Hope,  her  eyes  deep  pools  of  woe. 
"  In  this  case,  if  I  saw  the  Dolphin  things  begin- 
ning to  look  worn  out  and  shabby — if  the  pretty 
new  dishes  were  nicked  or  the  shiny  new  floor 
was  scratched — I  should  be  glad  I  Miss  Willis 
would  be  glad  I" 

"  Is  it  a  pretty  shop  ?  "  asked  Nancy. 

"  Oh,  it's  sweet  I  The  tea-room  has  little  low 
round  tables  and  spindly-backed  chairs, — Miss 
Willis  calls  them  Windsor  chairs,  I  think, — and 
a  beautiful  shining  row  of  old  brass  things  above 
the  fireplace,  and  flowers  growing  in  all  the  win- 
dows and  blossoming  on  all  the  tables.  And  then 
there's  a  big  screened-in  piazza  with  wicker  tables 
— tiffin-tables  is  the  name  for  those.  The  top  of 
each  one  is  a  tray  that  lifts  out,  and  the  shelf  be- 
low is  another  tray  that  lifts  out.  I  love  to  work 
those  trays,"  sighed  Hope  blissfully,  "  because 
they're  so  convenient,  and  the  people  are  generally 
so  surprised  when  you  begin  lifting  them  around." 

"  If  ever  I  can  come  and  see  your  shop,  I'll  eat 
on  the  piazza  and  let  you  work  the  trays  for  me," 
Nancy  assured  her.  "  And  I'll  smash  a  cup, 
Hope,  and  dig  my  heels  into  the  floor,"  she  added 
laughingly,  "  if  you  think  that  will  help  any." 

149 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

"  Your  coming  will  help,"  said  Hope  soberly. 
•"  Every  one  who  comes  helps  just  so  much.  But 
it's  dreadfully  slow  getting  started,  and  the  fixed 
expenses  go  right  on.  I'm  a  fixed  expense,  except 
to-day,  of  course,  when  I  asked  to  be  let  off;  and 
I  think  I'm  unnecessary.  With  business  as  bad 
as  it's  been  so  far,  Miss  Willis  could  get  along 
without  me  perfectly  well.  I'm  glad  I  didn't  tell 
her  how  I  was  counting  on  my  money.  I  guess, 
from  something  she  said,  that  she'd  been  counting 
on  what  she  expected  to  make  just  as  hard  as  I 
was  counting  on  mine." 

"  You  started  to  tell  me  about  your  saving  up 
to  go  to  college,"  Nancy  suggested.  "  You  men- 
tioned it  the  day  we  first  met." 

"  Oh,  of  course  I  would ! "  laughed  Hope. 
"  Everybody  who  knows  me  knows  about  col- 
lege. Why,  I  believe  even  the  cows  and  pigs  and 
chickens  on  our  farm  know  about  it.  Dolly,  our 
horse,  certainly  does.  I  used  to  talk  of  it  to  her 
every  morning  as  we  jogged  along  through  the 
Cheney  woods  on  the  way  to  school.  It  was 
pretty  dark  and  lonesome  in  there,  if  you  didn't 
have  something  nice  to  think  about  and  somebody 
to  tell  it  to." 

"  You've  been  planning  on  going  for  a  long 
while,  then  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes — for  four  years, — almost  ever  since  I 

150 


A    RIDE    IN  A    SEDAN   CHAIR 

entered  the  Sherwin  Hollow  High  School.  The 
Hollow  is  five  miles  from  the  Corners,  where  we 
live.  The  first  year  I  had  to  walk  it,  unless  I 
happened  to  get  a  lift,  but  after  that  father  spared 
me  Dolly." 

"  Goodness !  "  Nancy's  face  was  a  study  in  as- 
tonishment. "  Do  you  really  want  to  go  to  col- 
lege as  much  as  that  ?  As  much  as  a  ten-mile 
walk  every  day  for  a  year  ?  " 

Hope  nodded  smilingly.  "  For  four  years,  if 
they  couldn't  have  spared  me  Dolly." 

"Why?"  demanded  Nancy  curiously.  "Do 
you  expect  to  have  such  a  splendid  time  there  ?  " 

"  I  expect,"  said  Hope,  sitting  forward  on  the 
edge  of  her  chair,  "  I  expect  to  find  things  out 
there.  I  expect  to  learn  to  be  wise.  And  no 
matter  what  happens  to  you  or  how  poor  you  are 
or  how  hard  you  have  to  work  in  this  world,  if 
you  know  things  you  can  be  useful  and  happy. 
Of  course,"  Hope  explained  conscientiously,  "  you 
can  be  a  wise  person  without  going  to  college. 
Uncle  Luke  Parsons,  who  keeps  the  store  at  the 
Corners,  is  the  kind  of  person  I  mean,  and  he 
never  went  to  school  but  two  terms  in  his  life. 
But  it  seems  as  if  college  was  the  surest  way,  spe- 
cially as  then  I  can  get  a  good  place  to  teach  after 
I've  graduated,  and  be  able  to  help  them  at  home." 
Hope  sighed.  "  It's  awfully  hard  to  make  a  farm 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

pay — if  it's  a  little,  hilly,  rocky  kind  of  farm, 
and  if  everything  was  shabby  to  start  with. 
Father  works  dreadfully  hard,  and  mother  just 
slaves,  and  we  five  children  help  all  we  can. 
Sometimes  I  feel  mean  to  be  here  now,  having 
such  a  beautiful  time  and  planning  to  use  all  the 
money  for  myself.  And  then  I  think  that  maybe 
my  wanting  an  education  so  much  is  a  sign  that 
I  can  use  it.  So,"  Hope  laughed,  "  I've  adopted 
the  owl  as  my  sacred  bird,  and  the  owl's  hoot 
for  my  call,  and  I  shall  try  not  to  be  terribly 
disappointed  if  Miss  Willis  has  to  let  me  go 
and  I  have  to  wait  a  year  before  I  can  enter  col- 

lege." 

"  Nancy,  Nancy  !  Where  are  you  ?  "  It  was 
mother's  voice. 

"In  the  Birdcage,  mother!"  Nancy  signaled 
back.  "  Oh,  I'm  glad  you've  come,"  she  cried, 
as  Mrs.  Lee  appeared,  "  because  I  want  to  ask 

you "     She  pulled  her  mother's  head  down  to 

whisper  something  in  her  ear. 

"  Certainly,  dear,"  agreed  Mrs.  Lee  cordially 
and  turned  to  Hope.  "  Nancy  thinks  perhaps 
you  would  stay  for  dinner  with  us.  Will  you  ? 
Nancy,  please  read  your  note.  A  most  impressive 
servant  in  livery  is  standing  at  attention  on  the 
piazza  waiting  for  your  answer." 

Nancy  read  : 

152 


A   RIDE   IN  A    SEDAN   CHAIR 

"  Miss  LEE  : 

"  Dear  Madam  : — As  you  know,  my  grand- 
daughter, Clarissa  Smith  (an  enfant  terrible,  but 
with  some  excuse),  commands  your  presence  at 
1  Gray  Gables.'  (Commands  is  quite  literal,  I  re- 
gret to  state.)  Your  physician  distrusts  the  possi- 
ble jolting  of  horse-drawn  vehicles  or  motor-cars. 
He  has  no  such  objection  to  the  Sedan  chair.  I 
have  therefore  borrowed  one  for  the  occasion  from  a 
museum  where  I  possess  some  influence.  It  awaits 
your  pleasure,  accompanied  by  trusty  bearers,  who 
will  bring  you  to  '  Gray  Gables '  now,  or  return  to 
get  you  at  any  hour  specified.  When  no  modern 
invention  fills  the  bill,  we  must  revert  to  the  past. 
"  Yours  respectfully,  JOHN  SMITH. 

"  Clarissa  has  been  howling  at  the  top  of  her 
lungs  for  an  hour,  because  I  let  my  men  eat  their 
dinners  before  unpacking  the  chair  and  starting 
on  their  errand.  If  you  came  back  with  them,  a 
second  such  explosion  might  be  averted." 

"  Oh,  mother,  what  is  a  Sedan  chair  ? "  cried 
Nancy,  breaking  in  upon  her  mother's  talk  with 
Hope.  "  And  where  is  this  one?  And  what  shall 
I  do  about  going  in  it?"  She  thrust  the  note  at 
them.  "  Read  it,  both  of  you." 

"  A  Sedan  chair  is  the  electric  runabout  of  the 
eighteen-thirties,"  Mrs.  Lee  explained  laughingly. 
"  You  must  have  seen  one,  daughter,  in  a  museum 
or  in  some  old  print." 

"  Oh,  yes,  Nancy,  in  old  pictures,  with  beautiful 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

ladies  ready  for  a  party  stepping  into  them  !  "  broke 
in  Hope  eagerly.  "Little  high  boxes,  with  windows 
on  the  sides  for  the  ladies  to  peep  out  through,  and 
poles  for  the  men  to  carry  them  by.  And  always 
gallant  gentlemen  bowing  the  ladies  out  and  in." 

Nancy  went  off  in  a  paroxysm  of  laughter. 
"  I  know  what  you  mean.  Just  imagine  me  riding 
in  a  thing  like  that  up  Lighthouse  Road  and  down 
Fresh  Pond  Trail.  Why,  it's  absurd  !  " 

"  I  think  it's  lovely  !  "  said  Hope. 

"  Judge  Smith  must  have  an  extraordinarily 
fertile  imagination,"  put  in  Mrs.  Lee.  "  And  he 
must  be  very  fond  of  that  '  enfant  terrible '  to  go  to 
so  much  trouble  to  satisfy  her  whims.  I'm  afraid 
you  really  ought  to  go  now,  Nancy,  if  Hope  will 
excuse  you  for  a  while." 

"  Oh,  I've  thought  that  all  out,"  announced 
Hope  practically.  "  Of  course  you'd  go  now — you 
wouldn't  take  the  chance  of  postponing  a  ride  in 
a  Sedan  chair.  And  I'll  walk  around  the  Point, 
as  I  planned  at  first,  and  come  back  to  supper,  if 
you  really  want  me  to.  I'm  honestly  glad  it's 
happened  that  I  can  get  in  both  the  walk  and  the 
supper,  because  my  chances  for  rocks  and  pools 
are  so  very  uncertain." 

Twenty  minutes  later  the  dwellers  on  Halcyon 
Point  were  treated  to  the  unusual  spectacle  of  a 


A    RIDE    IN  A    SEDAN   CHAIR 

genuinely  antique  Sedan  chair,  which  had  been 
brought  to  "  The  Crags,"  with  its  four  bearers,  in 
the  "  Gray  Gables  "  motor-truck,  being  gingerly 
carried  along  the  shore  roads  by  a  perspiring  gar- 
dener, an  embarrassed  chauffeur,  an  irate  butler, 
and  an  amused  young  secretary.  None  of  the 
four  could  see  Nancy — this  was  the  secretary's 
one  regret, — and  Nancy  could  not  see  them,  as 
she  sat,  convulsed  with  laughter,  on  the  narrow 
straight-backed  seat,  her  ankle  buried  in  a  nest 
of  pillows  which  strewed  the  bottom  of  the  chair. 

"  Oh,  Hope  ought  to  be  riding  here  1  "  thought 
Nancy.  "  She'd  imagine  she  was  some  famous 
lady  in  history  going  to  some  famous  place.  I 
can't  do  anything  but  giggle  at  the  ridiculousness 
of  everything." 

It  was  a  hot,  drowsy  hour  of  early  afternoon,  and 
most  of  the  dwellers  on  Halcyon  Point  missed  the 
sight  of  Nancy's  strange  progress.  But  down  in 
the  swamp  by  Fresh  Pond  a  boy's  sharp  eyes  spied 
the  queer  cavalcade,  and  the  boy  dashed  at  top 
speed  up  the  bushy  slope  to  the  road  to  investigate. 
Being  very  fond  of  reading  history,  the  boy  recog- 
nized the  Sedan  chair  instantly,  and  his  jaw 
dropped  in  amazement  as  he  stood  by  the  roadside 
watching  this  curious  anachronism  move  toward 
him.  His  fascinated  gaze  drew  Nancy's,  and  she 
recognized  her  Green  Knight.  Peering  out  of  the 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

little  window,  she  nodded  brightly,  and  the  boy, 
after  a  moment  of  frowning  wonderment,  nodded 
back  at  her  and  pulled  off  his  green  cap  with  a 
flourish.  He  was  certainly  a  nice-looking  boy. 
He  didn't  look  a  bit  queer  or  freaky.  He  was 
frankly  curious  and  amused  at  the  Sedan  chair, 
and  Nancy  felt  sure  that  if  she  knew  how  to  stop 
her  bearers — and  dared  to  use  her  knowledge — 
the  Green  Knight  would  come  and  open  the  chair 
door  and  talk  with  her  in  the  most  sociable  fash- 
ion. It  was  perfectly  ridiculous  to  think  that  he 
had  anything  to  do  with  the  Parkes'  burglary  or 
the  "  Gray  Gables "  scare.  Nancy  resolved  to 
make  Dick  see  this  at  the  earliest  opportunity.  It 
wasn't  nice  to  track  a  strange  boy  around  and  try 
to  pin  horrid  meanings  to  all  his  silly  little  amuse- 
ments. Dick  and  Johnny  and  Little  Peter  were 
hidden  down  by  the  pond  now,  probably,  watching 
him.  Nancy  chuckled  delightedly  to  think  how 
angry  they  must  be  because  they  couldn't  come  up, 
too,  to  investigate  her  queer  equipage.  She  hoped 
the  Green  Knight  would  stumble  on  them,  on  his 
way  back  to  whatever  he  was  doing,  and  embarrass 
them  fearfully. 

"  Well,  Miss  Lee,  where  there's  a  will  there's  a 
way  I  Anybody  who  knows  me  knows  that  I  gen- 
erally get  what  I  want.  But  I  work  pretty  hard 
for  most  of  it." 

156 


A    RIDE    IN   A    SEDAN   CHAIR 

They  had  turned  in  under  the  porte-cochere  of 
"  Gray  Gables,"  the  bearers  had  halted,  and,  just 
as  in  Hope's  account  of  Sedan  chairs,  a  gallant 
gentleman  had  flung  open  the  chair  door.  Only 
he  was,  perhaps,  a  little  old  to  fit  into  the  picture. 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  Nancy  Lee  delightedly  at  sight  of 
him.  "  I  thought  maybe  it  was  you  all  the  time, 
but  Dick  said  it  couldn't  be." 

"Humph!"  said  "  Jno."  Smith  who  had  "in- 
terests "  in  Pine  Ridge,  Michigan,  and  who  had 
engineered  the  return  of  Timmy  Lee  Marshall 
Raftery, — "  Boss  "  Smith,  whose  telegrams  and 
letters,  with  their  finicky,  feminine  beginnings  and 
their  bold,  magisterial  conclusions,  had  kept  the 
spring  term  at  Fair  Oaks  in  a  state  of  pleasant  ex- 
citement. "  Humph  !  "  said  Judge  Smith,  million- 
aire owner  of  Halcyon's  show-place,  which  he  had 
never  troubled  to  visit  till  this  summer.  "  I  don't 
know  who  in  thunder  Dick  is,  but  you're  the  one 
who  asked  the  most  questions  out  at  Pine  Ridge. 
I  know  you ! " 

Nancy  caught  a  twinkle  in  his  keen  eyes.  "  Is 
Clare  the  grandchild  that  was  a  caution  or  the  one 
you  hadn't  ever  seen  ?  "  she  demanded. 

"She's  both!"  roared  Judge  Smith.  "The 
other  caution  is  a  tame — a  tame  robin  compared  to 
Clare.  But  then  Clare's  sick.  Clare's  lonesome. 
She's  been  brought  up  like  a  little  savage  by  a  fa- 

157 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

ther  that Well,  he's  my  son,  so  I'm  doing  my 

best  by  Clare.  Carter," — he  turned  abruptly  to  the 
secretary, — "  my  granddaughter's  cot  is  out  by  the 
second  fountain ;  take  this  young  lady  there.  Help 
her  out  with  great  care.  Return  when  she  tells 
you  to.  I'll  be  back  from  Michigan  some  time 
next  week.  Good-bye,  Miss  Lee." 

Before  she  had  time  to  ask  a  word  about  Timmy, 
the  chair  door  swung  shut  and  Nancy  was  swaying 
down  a  gravel  path,  through  shrubberies,  past  rose 
arbors  and  rock  gardens,  to  the  shady  nook,  where, 
beside  a  splashing  fountain  that  dripped  out  of  a 
mossy  wall  into  a  pool  of  pink  water-lilies,  the 
little  white  girl  lay  listlessly  on  her  little  white  cot. 
She  hardly  looked  at  the  Sedan  chair.  She  never 
smiled  when  Nancy  leaned  out  with  a  gay  greeting. 

"  Thank  you  for  those  little  dolls,"  she  mur- 
mured faintly,  when  Nancy  was  established  in  a 
chair  by  her  side.  "  I  liked  those  little  dolls. 
Susan  said  the  ghost  came  'cause  I'm  so  naughty. 
So  I  say  thank  you  now  every  time." 

"  I'll  show  you  a  nice  way  to  play  with  the  dolls, 
if  you'll  give  me  the  box,"  said  Nancy,  wrung  with 
pity  for  the  frightened,  white-faced  little  creature. 
"  A  way  you  can  play  in  bed." 

The  child  shook  her  head.  "  I  wanter  play  per- 
tend.  You  said  it  was  fun.  Do  you  know  how  ?" 

"  Why,  yes,  I  know  how.  Shall  I  be  a  grown-up 

158 


A    RIDE   IN  A   SEDAN  CHAIR 

lady,  and  you  be  another  grown-up  lady,  and  the 
dolls  can  be  our  families  ?  " 

Again  the  child  shook  her  head.  "  You  be  a 
ghost  and  go  and  hide  in  the  bushes  and  scream. 
I  know  it  was  a  ghost  I  heard.  My  nurse  Annun- 
ciata  said " 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  do  that  kind  of  pretend," 
Nancy  announced  briskly.  "  Did  you  ever  go  to 
the  theater  and  see  a  play  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  I "  The  child  clasped  her  hands  ex- 
citedly. "  Oh,  with  my  own  father  in  London,  to 
see  a  play  about  a  little  boy — a  little  boy  with 
wings,  and  he  had  a  little  house  up  in  the 
sky " 

"  I  know  him,"  Nancy  broke  in  quickly.  "  His 
name  was  Peter  Pan,  wasn't  it?  I  thought  so. 
He's  the  loveliest  pretend-boy  that  ever  was. 
Don't  you  think  my  little  house  that  I  call  '  The 
Birdcage  '  is  a  good  deal  like  his  ?  " 

"  No  !  "  The  little  white  girl's  scorn  was  scath- 
ing. "  Why  can't  you  be  a  ghost  and  scream  ?  " 

"  Because  I  don't  know  how  to  pretend  that," 
Nancy  insisted.  "  Ghosts  are  a  very  horrid  kind 
of  pretend,  I  think,  Clare.  There's  nothing  real 
about  them,  you  know.  When  you  think  you 
hear  them,  it's  not  so.  When  you  think  you  see 
them,  that's  not  so  either.  But  I'll  show  you  how 
to  have  a  lovely  play  with  the  dolls.  The  box  can 

159 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

be  the  theater.     If  we  had  the  dolls,  and  some 
string " 

"  Annunciata  said  there  were  ghosts,"  persisted 
the  tired  little  voice.  "  And  Susan  said " 

"  Susan  was  just  teasing  you,  darling,"  broke  in 
the  nurse  sadly.  "  I've  told  you  so  over  and  over. 
And  I  never  will  tease  again,  no  matter  how 
rude  you  speak  to  me.  I  was  only  joking." 

"  Annunciata  was  joking  too,  I  think,"  Nancy 
took  up  the  tale.  "  She  was  trying  to  amuse  you 
with  stories " 

"  All  right,"  agreed  the  child  wearily.  "  You 
can  show  me  about  the  theater  if  you  want  to." 
She  brightened  a  little  when  Nancy  made  the 
puppets  dance.  She  even  smiled  when  Nancy 
promised  her  a  Peter  Pan  doll,  with  wings,  to  add 
to  the  collection. 

"  I  guess  your  mother  would  like  you  to  go 
home  now,"  she  announced  presently. 

"  Oh,  Clare,"  interposed  Susan.  "  That's  no  way 
to  treat  Miss  Lee,  when  she's  taken  all  the  trouble 
to  come  here  in  that  outlandish  cart." 

"  Grandfather  had  all  the  trouble  about  that, 
Susan,"  corrected  Clare  acutely,  "  and  he  only  did 
it  because  I  cried  so.  It  makes  me  worse  to  cry," 
she  concluded  complacently. 

"  I  really  must  go  now,"  Nancy  assured  Susan, 
who  went  off  after  the  Sedan  chair. 

160 


A    RIDE   IN  A    SEDAN   CHAIR 

11 1  thought  of  course  you  could  pertend  a  ghost," 
the  child  sighed,  when  Susan  was  out  of  ear-shot. 

Impulsively  Nancy  reached  down  and  gathered 
the  thin  little  mite  in  her  strong  young  arms.  "I 
can  only  pretend  real  things,  Clare — ladies  and 
birds  with  broken  wings  and — and  any  real  things. 
Ghosts  aren't  anything,  Clare.  If  you  ever  think 
you  hear  one  or  see  one,  you  just  remember  that. 
They're  not  anything  at  all.  So  don't  you  ever  be 
scared  about  seeing  one  or  hearing  one.  Now 
you'll  remember,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  I'll  try  to."  The  child  snuggled  close  in 
Nancy's  arms.  "  Only,  when  I  was  little,  I  was  so 
sure — Annunciata  said " 

"  Never  you  mind  her  1 "  Nancy  insisted.  "  Your 
mother  never  said  so.  Mothers  are  the  ones  to  go 
by.  My  mother  told  me,  and  that's  how  I  know. 
Remember." 

Susan  was  coming  back.  Clare  stiffened  a  little, 
and  wriggled  away  from  Nancy. 

"  You  come  again,"  she  ordered  imperiously, 
"  and  bring  that  doll.  Soon,  'cause  I  might  forget 
what  you  said.  My  mother  never  told  me  any- 
thing." 

Nancy  rode  back  in  the  Sedan  chair  with  no 
consciousness  of  its  absurdity.  She  was  too  busy 
thinking  how  to  put  wings  on  a  peanut  doll. 
Perhaps  Hope  could  invent  a  way.  As  she  liked 

161 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

mermaids,  she  probably  liked  fairies  also,  and 
Peter  Pan  was  a  kind  of  fairy.  "  Oh,  dear,  it's 
awfully  easy  to  promise  things !  "  sighed  Nancy 
Lee. 


162 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   DINNER    PARTY 

BUT  there  was  no  time  to  consult  Hope  about 
the  winged  doll.  To  be  sure,  she  came  down 
Lighthouse  Road  just  behind  the  Sedan  chair, 
joyously  reveling  in  its  quaintness  all  the  way. 
But  at  the  very  same  minute,  across  from  the 
house  next  door  strolled  Cecilia  Green  and  Alex- 
andra Little,  and  walked  up  on  the  piazza  with  an 
unmistakable  air  of  being  expected.  They  were 
dressed  up,  too.  Cecilia  had  on  the  pink  dress  that 
she  had  worn  to  the  Fourth  of  July  dance  at  the 
Inn,  and  Alexandra  wore  a  filmy  white  linen, 
crusted  over  with  the  daintiest  of  hand-embroidery 
and  set  off  by  a  wide  rose-colored  girdle.  Mrs. 
Lee  came  out  to  meet  them  all. 

"  You're  coming  at  exactly  the  right  time,  all 
of  you."  She  beamed  around  the  circle,  after  she 
had  introduced  Hope  and  the  neighbors.  "  Nancy, 
I've  enlarged  your  party  to  four.  Dick,  I  found, 
is  staying  for  dinner  with  the  Andrews  family, 
and  the  children  insist  upon  my  taking  them  for 
a  picnic.  Nancy,  their  favorite  companion  on  such 

163 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

excursions,  can't  go.  So,  as  I  thought  you  and 
Hope  would  rattle  around  here  all  by  yourselves,  I 
asked  these  girls  to  come  over  and  keep  you  com- 
pany." 

"  That's  very  nice."  Nancy  smiled  cordially  at 
the  two  added  guests,  but  inwardly  she  felt  de- 
cidedly perturbed.  She  liked  Cecilia  and  Alex- 
andra— especially  Alexandra,  with  her  little  shy, 
sweet  way  of  lingering  behind  to  explain  some 
impulsive  utterance  of  her  thoughtless  cousin's. 
But  Hope's  eyes — and  Hope's  queer  fancies — and 
Hope's  gulps  of  joy — they  didn't  somehow  fit  with 
Cecilia's  evidently  regretful  surprise  that  Dick  was 
to  be  away  this  evening,  nor  with  the  puzzled,  ap- 
praising glance  that  Alexandra  bestowed  on  the 
strange  girl's  wispy,  straw-colored  hair  and  faded, 
old-fashioned  blue  dress. 

"  Alexandra  never  noticed  her  eyes  I "  sighed 
Nancy,  and  began  a  valiant  struggle  to  make  her 
dinner-party  a  success. 

She  made  them  all  laugh  over  the  Sedan  chair 
and  Judge  Smith's  manners,  and  gasp  at  the 
strange  coincidence  that  involved  the  home-com- 
ing of  Timmy.  Noticing  that  Alexandra  was  not 
much  interested  in  Timmy,  Nancy  heroically  sup- 
pressed a  desire  to  talk  about  him  for  the  rest  of 
the  evening,  told  them  about  Clare,  and  then,  for 
Cecilia's  special  benefit,  doubled  back  to  her  en- 

164 


THE    DINNER    PARTY 

counter  with  the  Green  Knight.  And  that  led 
inevitably  to  the  story  of  Nancy's  being  rescued 
by  him  on  Baxter's  Reef. 

"  How  romantic ! "  sighed  Cecilia,  thoroughly 
interested  at  last.  "  You  certainly  ought  to  have 
stopped  and  talked  to  him  to-day,  Nancy.  You 
say  your  mother  wants  to  see  him  again.  You 
ought  to  have  asked  him  over  here,  with  that  as 
an  excuse.  Do  get  hold  of  him  I  Now  that  our 
boys  are  off  so  much,  it's  dull  as  dull  here." 

"  Do  you  have  all  day  to  do  as  you  like  in  ?  " 
inquired  Hope  solemnly. 

"  Why,  yes,  of  course,"  Cecilia  told  her.  "  Un- 
less Aunt  May  wants  something  of  us — like  arrang- 
ing flowers  for  the  house  or  an  errand  down  at 
Rocky  Neck.  Why?" 

"  Oh,  I  was  just  wondering" — Hope's  eyes  were 
dreamy — "  how  long  it  would  be  before  I  should 
find  it  dull  here,  without  boys.  I  think  boys  are 
lots  of  fun,  but  when  I  can  have  the  sea,  I  don't 
care  for  anything  else.  Just  me  and  the  tide-pools 

and  the  rocks  and  the  wet  wind  in  my  face 

Oh,  I  had  the  most  blissful  walk  to-day,  Nancy, 
but  the  sea-anemones  have  moved  away." 

"  Had  any  mermaids  moved  in  in  their  places  ?  " 
demanded  Nancy  quizzically. 

Hope  flushed.  "  How  did  you  know  that  I'd 
named  that  particular  pool  the  Mermaid's  Delight, 

165 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Nancy?    I'm  sure  it's  the  loveliest  sea-pool  in  the 
whole  world." 

"  What  are  you  two  talking  about?  "  demanded 
Cecilia  rather  impatiently,  and  Nancy  explained 
how  she  had  made  friends  with  Hope  by  showing 
her  all  the  loveliest  spots  on  Baxter's  Reef. 

"  I've  heard  about  that  rock,  but  I  haven't  cared 
about  going  out  there,"  said  Cecilia  indifferently. 
"  I  suppose  I've  outgrown  liking  to  climb  around 
on  rocks." 

"  We've  been  to  the  shore  every  year  for  so  long, 
you  see."  Alexandra  turned  to  Hope  in  pretty 
apology.  "  That's  what  Cecilia  means." 

"  And  I  never  saw  the  ocean  till  this  summer," 
Hope,  in  her  turn,  explained  brightly.  "  So  I 
suppose  all  my  raptures  are  silly,  but  oh,  I  just 
can't  seem  to  suppress  them  !  " 

This  time  Alexandra  couldn't  help  noticing 
Hope's  eyes,  and  remembering  that  she  had  seen 
them  before,  and  that  Peter,  who  noticed  things 
like  that  more  than  she,  had  spoken  about  seeing 
just  such  blazing  brown  eyes  down  at  the  Inn  and 
wished  he  knew  their  owner. 

"  I  wonder  " — Alexandra  smiled  again  at  Hope, 
— "I  wonder  where  I've  met  you  before.  I'd  just 
decided  that  it  was  at  Maponset  summer  before 
last,  but  if  you've  never  been  to  the  sea  be- 
fore   " 

166 


THE    DINNER    PARTY 

11  Never,"  said  Hope  decisively.  "  But  of  course 
you  might  have  seen  me  this  summer  at  the 
Inn." 

"  Oh,  are  you  staying  there  ?  "  broke  in  Cecilia 
impulsively.  "  Do  you  know  the  Shaw  boys?  " 

Hope  shook  her  head.  "  I  don't  know  anybody 
except  the  people  at  my  tables  and  Mrs.  Augustus 
Walker,  who  talks  to  the  waitresses  about  votes 
for  women.  I'm  a  waitress  at  the  Inn,  and  I  pass 
ices  at  the  dances.  I've  seen  you  two  at  several 
dances.  Oh,  and  once  you  came  to  tea  at  '  The 
Sign  of  the  Dolphin  ' !  I  work  there  too,  but  you 
didn't  see  me,  because  I  was  making  extra  sand- 
wiches behind  a  screen.  It  was  our  big  day,  you 
see.  The  sandwiches  ran  out,  and  the  lemon." 
She  turned  to  Nancy  for  sympathy.  "  We  were 
so  hopeful  that  day  I  " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  agreed  Nancy  absently.  She  was 
watching  a  scornful  flash  in  Cecilia's  eyes  answer 
Alexandra's  shocked,  indignant  glance,  and  trying 
desperately  to  think  how  she  could  smooth  things 
over. 

"  Hope's  earning  money  so  she  can  go  to  col- 
lege this  fall,"  she  explained  rapidly.  "  Is  either 
of  you  going?  " 

"  Oh,  no  !  "  chorused  the  cousins  icily. 

"  Lots  of  the  Fair  Oaks  girls  go,"  volunteered 
Nancy  hastily,  "  and  I  think  it  must  be  splendid, 

167 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

but  I'm  afraid  I'm  not  bright  enough.  Did  you 
two  girls  like  the  Dolphin  tea-shop  ?  I'm  going 
there  the  first  day  I  can  get  so  far." 

"  Why,  it's  rather  small  and  stuffy,  I  thought," 
began  Cecilia. 

"  The  big  piazza "  Nancy  broke  in. 

"  It  looked  very  sunny,"  Cecilia  cut  her  short 
stiffly. 

"  Oh,  C.  !  "  Alexandra  remonstrated.  "  The 
sandwiches  were  very  nice."  She  turned  to  Hope, 
who  was  staring  from  one  to  another  of  the  three 
girls  in  a  puzzled  way.  "  Perhaps  we  had  some 
of  yours — the  extra  ones  you  had  to  make.  Any- 
how, they  were  very  nice."  Alexandra's  voice 
was  polite,  but  likewise  very  cold  and  unenthusi- 
astic. 

"  Oh,  thank  you  for  liking  them  !  "  cried  Hope, 
ignoring  the  coldness.  "  I'm  sorry  there  were 
other  things  you  didn't  like.  I'm  afraid  the  Dol- 
phin wasn't  at  his  best  that  day.  It's  hard  to  be 
always  at  your  best,  isn't  it?  But  the  Dolphin 
needn't  have  chosen  our  biggest  day  to  act  so 
cranky.  He  ought  to  have  made  an  effort  and 
put  his  best  foot  forward,  as  my  mother  is  always 
advising  me  to.  Oh  I  "  Suddenly  the  meaning  of 
Cecilia's  frank  ill-temper  and  Alexandra's  chilly 
politeness  rushed  upon  Hope.  "  Oh,  I  haven't 
done  it  to-night  I  This  is  my  big  day — the  love- 

168 


THE    DINNER    PARTY 

liest  I've  had  in  this  lovely  place — and  I — I  didn't 
stop  to  think  how  my — best  foot — would  look  to 
you.  '  Don't  be  ashamed  of  poverty,  but  don't 
parade  it.'  That's  another  of  mother's  sayings." 
She  turned  appealingly  to  Nancy.  "  I'm  sorry," 
she  said  simply.  "  I  might  just  as  well  have  kept 
still  about  what  I'm  doing  here." 

"  We're  going  to  town  to-morrow,"  announced 
Cecilia,  before  Nancy  could  speak.  "  There's  a 
shoe  sale  at  Carterson's.  I'm  going  to  buy  some 
white  buck  pumps  with  black  trimmings.  I 
think  they're  awfully  smart." 

"  I  want  gold  slippers,"  sighed  Alexandra. 
"  But  even  at  the  sale  mother  may  think  they 
cost  too  much.  I  don't  believe  she'll  let  me  pay 
more  than  six  dollars,  and  they'll  probably  cost 
eight." 

Hope  answered  Nancy's  comradely  smile  with 
an  understanding  flash  of  her  wonderful  eyes,  and 
then  listened  in  aghast  silence  to  the  discussion 
about  shoes.  Eight  dollars — and  Alexandra  said 
they  tarnished  quickly  and  couldn't  be  cleaned. 
It  amounted  apparently  to  eight  dollars  for  about 
three  evenings'  wear  of  the  shoes.  And  eight 
dollars  was  almost  one-twelfth  of  a  hundred,  and 
two  hundred  would  give  you  a  year  at  college,  if 
you  could  get  a  scholarship. 

Before  the  topic  of  new  shoes  was  exhausted, 

169 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Mrs.  Lee  and  the  children  and  Dick  and  Little 
Peter  came  in,  the  two  parties  having  met  at  the 
gate.  In  a  minute  Hope  said  she  must  go. 

"  Dick  and  I  will  walk  down  with  you,"  Mrs. 
Lee  told  her.  "  I  have  an  errand  to  do  at  the 
Inn.  Yes,  Joe,  I'm  coming ! "  she  answered  a 
cry  for  help  from  up-stairs. 

"  Let's  all  go  to  the  Inn,"  suggested  Cecilia 
quickly. 

"  Oh,  C. !  "  cried  thoughtful  Alexandra.  "  You 
and  I  would  better  stay  with  Nancy.  Besides, 
mother  said  she  wants  to  know  just  where  we  are 
in  the  evenings." 

"  Peter  could  tell  her,"  muttered  Cecilia,  sink- 
ing ill-humoredly  back  in  her  chair. 

Peter  was  chatting  gaily  with  Hope.  "  We  met 
this  afternoon,"  he  explained.  "  I  was  out  on 
Baxter's  Reef  reading,  and  suddenly  I  heard  some 
one  say,  '  Oh,  you  darling  ! '  Of  course  I  investi- 
gated, but  the  young  lady  said  she  was  addressing 
a  starfish." 

"  That's  a  fine  way  to  scrape  acquaintance,  isn't 
it  ?  "  commented  Cecilia  loftily.  "  Making  ridicu- 
lous remarks,  out  loud,  to  starfish  I  " 

Hope  turned  to  her  critic,  her  great  eyes  deep 
with  questioning.  "  Maybe  you'd  talk  to  star- 
fish," she  said  gently,  "  if  you  had  only  about 
four  chances  in  a  summer  to  hunt  for  them,  and 

170 


THE    DINNER    PARTY 

if  it  was  your  first  year  by  the  sea,  and  if  Miss 
Little  or  some  friend  wasn't  always  with  you  to 
listen  to  your  raptures." 

"  No,  she  wouldn't,"  cried  Peter  gaily.  "  Not 
if  a  strange  and  attractive  youth,  like  me,  for  ex- 
ample, was  also  within  hearing.  Would  you,  Miss 
C.  Green  ?  " 

Before  Cecilia  could  answer,  Mrs.  Lee  came  in, 
and  carried  off  Hope  and  Dick. 

"  I  like  that  girl,"  announced  Peter,  looking 
after  them.  "  There's  something  about  her  that 
makes  you  sit  up  and  take  notice." 

Nancy  could  have  hugged  Peter  for  that  speech. 
Instead  she  only  smiled  at  him.  "  Her  eyes  are 
beautiful,  aren't  they  ?  "  she  said. 

"  I  can't  see  why  you  two  are  so  crazy  about 
her,"  broke  in  Cecilia  irritably.  "  Can  you,  Alex- 
andra ?  " 

"  No — not  exactly,"  Alexandra  hesitated.  "  But 
perhaps  we  haven't  seen  enough  of  her  yet  to 
judge." 

"  If  you  treated  her  to  any  more  remarks  like 
the  one  you  made  about  the  starfish  episode,  Miss 
C.  Green,"  Peter  told  his  cousin  bluntly,  "  she 
probably  isn't  struck  all  of  a  heap  with  your 
charms.  I  say,  Al,  mother  sent  me  to  bring  you 
two  home.  Wants  to  show  off  her  chickens  to  an 
old  family  friend  who's  turned  up  for  the  evening. 

171 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

If  mother  lights  on  me  for  delaying,  you  help  me 
out." 

"  Very  well,"  Alexandra  agreed  placidly.  "  I'm 
always  helping  one  or  the  other  of  you  out  of 
something,  and  getting  blamed  myself,  but  I  don't 
specially  mind.  Good-night,  Nancy.  I've  had  a 
lovely  time." 

"  So  have  I,"  echoed  Cecilia. 

"  I  certainly  haven't,"  Nancy  reflected,  when 
she  was  left  to  herself;  and  turning  to  a  fresh  page 
in  the  Red  Journal  she  relieved  her  feelings  by 
writing  out :  "  Things  the  Twins  Must  Do." 

"First,"  ran  item  one  on  the  list,  "make  'The 
Sign  of  the  Dolphin '  a  perfectly  grand  success. 

"  Second,"  continued  the  catalogue,  "  make 
Hope  a  perfectly  grand  success,  so  that  Cecilia 
and  Alexandra  will  have  to  acknowledge  that 
she's  a  splendid  girl  and  wish  they'd  been  nice  to 
her.  Third,  investigate  the  tearful  bride.  Fourth, 
help  me  with  Clare,  and  that  doll  I  promised  to 
make.  Fifth,  talk  about  Timmy  as  much  as  I 
want  to.  Sixth,  go  to  see  Mrs.  Miggs's  grandchild 
and  tell  me  all  about  her. 

"  If  they  divide  things  up  and  work  hard, 
maybe  they  will  have  a  little  time  off  for  swim- 
ming and  tennis  and  dances,  poor  twins !  How 
glad  I  am  they're  not  snobs  or  boy-crazy  or  afraid 
of  seeming  queer.  They'll  like  Hope  and  think 

172 


THE   DINNER    PARTY 

it's  fine  of  her  to  work  so  hard  for  an  education, 
and  Jane  will  make  those  other  two  see  it.  Why 
can't  I  make  people  see  things  ?  I  am  as  dumb 
as  an " 

"  Hello,  Nancy  I  "  It  was  Johnny  Andrews, 
badly  out  of  breath,  and  much  excited.  "  No,  I 
can't  stop.  Dick  here?  Well,  when  he  comes, 
you  tell  him  it's  so.  That's  all — -just  '  it's  so.' 
He'll  understand." 

"  But  I  don't,"  teased  Nancy.  "  If  you  want  me 
to  deliver  your  message  correctly,  you'd  better  ex- 
plain it.  A  person  can't  remember  things  she 
doesn't  understand.  I  shall  probably  turn  it  right 
around.  I've  had  the  same  experience  in  geome- 
try, and  I  know  how  it  affects  me." 

"  I  guess  you  can  remember '  it's  so '  for  ten  min- 
utes or  thereabouts,"  retorted  Johnny  cheerfully. 
"  Did  Little  Peter  go  with  Dick  ?  " 

Nancy  explained. 

"  Well,  I  shan't  stop  there  to  tell  him  any- 
thing," said  Johnny  loftily.  "  Little  Peter's  a 
quitter.  He  went  off  with  a  book  this  afternoon, 
— mooning  around  on  the  Reef  with  a  story- 
book." 

"  He  had  a  very  interesting  time  out  on  the 
Reef,"  announced  Nancy  tantalizingly.  "  I  don't 
believe  you  were  doing  anything  half  so  nice." 

"  Probably  not,"  agreed  Johnny,  without  dis- 

173 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

playing  the  faintest  bit  of  curiosity  over  Nancy's 
statement.  "  My  message  hasn't  anything  to  do 
with  this  afternoon.  It  has  to  do  with  this  even- 
ing. Don't  you  forget  to  give  it  to  Dick.  Good- 
bye." 

Nancy  speculated  very  hard  over  the  cryptic 
message.  Perhaps  Dick  would  tell  her  what  it 
meant;  but  he  might  be  in  one  of  his  secretive, 
lofty  moods.  Of  course  it  was  something  about 
the  Green  Knight.  They  had  all  been  watching 
him  in  the  afternoon,  until  Peter  deserted ;  and 
Johnny  had  evidently  been  watching  him  through 
the  evening.  Some  suspicion  that  they  had  had 
about  him  Johnny  had  confirmed.  It  couldn't 
be  that  he  had  actually  proved  the  Green  Knight 
to  be  the  Parkes'  burglar  or  the  disturber  of  "  Gray 
Gables,"  because  in  that  case  Johnny,  who  was  ex- 
citable at  any  time,  would  have  been  far  more  ex- 
cited than  he  was  to-night.  No,  it  must  be  some 
smaller  thing  that  he  had  discovered,  something 
that  tightened  the  net  of  suspicion  around  the 
strange  boy. 

"  I  just  wish  they'd  stop  watching  him,"  sighed 
Nancy.  "  He's  such  a  nice-appearing  boy.  Of 
course  he  can't  help  being  a  little  queer,  with 
such  a  queer  mother,  and  nobody  else  in  the 
family.  I  just  wish  somebody  would  watch  Dick 
and  Peter  and  Johnny  for  a  while— find  them 

174 


THE    DINNER    PARTY 

sneaking  around  in  the  bushes  and  spying  in  the 
dark.  They'd  better  be  careful,  or  some  of  the 
real  detectives  that  Mr.  Parke  hired  will  be  after 
them." 

When  Dick  finally  arrived,  he  proved  to  be  in 
quite  a  mellow  mood.  "What's  so?"  He  an- 
swered his  sister's  demand  for  enlightenment. 
"  Why,  that  your  friend  Green  Cap  digs  the  holes 
that  appear  every  morning  down  by  Fresh  Pond, 
or  some  of  'em.  Great,  deep  holes, — oh,  four  or 
five  feet  deep,  and  more  than  that  square. 
Johnny  was  to  trail  him  to-night.  We  take  turns 
on  night  work,"  explained  Dick  importantly. 

"  Dick,"  demanded  Nancy  solemnly,  "  what  has 
digging  a  few  holes,  or  fussing  around  measuring 
distances  from  one  tree  to  another,  to  do  with  be- 
ing a  burglar  ?  " 

"  What  has  it  to  do  with  earning  an  honest 
living  ?  "  demanded  Dick. 

"  He  isn't  earning  a  living  any  more  than  you 
are,  Richard  Arlington  Lee,"  scoffed  Nancy. 
"  He's  just  having  fun." 

"  Queer  fun,"  sniffed  Dick. 

"  Why  don't  you  ask  him  about  it,  instead  of 
spying  around  ?  " 

"  If  it's  anything  crooked,  he'd  be  likely  to  tell 
us,  wouldn't  he  ? "  growled  Dick.  "  Besides,  a 
fellow  can't  get  near  enough  to  ask  him  anything. 

175 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

He's  as  slippery  as  an  eel.     If  you  can  catch  him, 
you're  welcome  to  see  what  you  can  find  out." 

"  I'll  attend  to  it,"  said  Nancy  calmly,  and  added 
a  final  item  to  the  twins'  formidable  list.  "  Stop 
this  nonsensical  business  about  the  Green  Knight's 
being  a  burglar.  If  anybody  can  catch  an  eel  and 
make  him  talk  the  Terrible  Twins  can." 


176 


CHAPTER  X 

TWINS  TO  THE  KESCUE 

"  IF  we  go  off  exploring  this  morning  and  leave 
you  here  alone,  N.  Lee,  in  your  wonderful  old 
Lookout,  you've  got  to  promise  us  one  thing." 
Jane  Learned,  perched  comfortably  on  the  Bird- 
cage railing,  fixed  her  hostess  with  a  bland,  de- 
termined stare. 

"  What  ?  "  demanded  Nancy  absently,  patting 
into  shape  the  green  cushion  whose  cover  she  had 
just  finished  sewing  up.  The  green  covering  and 
the  down  pillows  for  the  Birdcage  had  come  on 
the  same  train  with  the  Learned  twins,  and  while 
three  tongues  flew,  exchanging  news,  exclaiming, 
laughing,  and  sighing  over  the  things  the  summer 
had  brought  to  the  Fair  Oaks  circle,  Nancy  and 
Christina  had  kept  their  fingers  busy  too. 

"  I  can't  sew  and  talk,"  Jane  had  excused  her- 
self. 

"  You  can't  sew  at  all,"  Nancy  had  corrected 
her.  "  I  don't  want  my  Birdcage  cushions  to  look 
like  the  hats  you  make,  Jane  dearie  ;  so  talk  ahead 
and  don't  feel  at  all  guilty  about  not  helping  with 
the  cushions." 

177 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

How  they  had  chattered  I  Nancy  had  the  most 
to  tell,  because,  in  addition  to  her  own  adventures, 
all  the  girls,  hearing  of  her  accident,  had  written 
her  long,  newsy  letters.  Margaret  Lewis  was  busy 
tutoring  a  brother  who  hadn't  passed  his  grade  in 
the  public  school.  Margaret  was  worried  about 
going  back  to  Fair  Oaks  ;  her  father  and  the  little 
boys  needed  her  dreadfully,  she  could  see  that 
more  clearly  every  day. 

"  But  so  do  we  need  her  ! "  sighed  little  Christina. 
"  She's  so  steadying." 

Lloyd  was  in  despair  over  Jeanne's  horseman- 
ship. "  She  falls  off  for  no  reason  at  all,"  wrote 
Lloyd,  "  and  my  pony  Ginger  won't  stay  behind 
any  other  horse,  so  my  neck  is  lame  most  of  the 
time  from  turning  around  to  see  whether  she's  on 
or  off.  But  Jeanne  is  happy  here  in  this  '  queer 
big  land  of  America,'  and  poor  mother  loves  to 
have  her  with  us,  because  she  laughs  at  everything 
and  sings  around  the  house.  I'm  trying  to  see 
more  to  laugh  at  in  life,  to  amuse  mother." 

Kittie  Westervelt  was  in  the  seventh  heaven  of 
bliss,  because  a  boy  named  Cyril  Baynes,  who  had 
an  automobile,  took  her  riding  almost  every  day ; 
and  Plain  Mary  Smith  declared  that  Doctor  Jim 
and  Mrs.  Doctor  Jim  were  perfectly  splendid,  that 
she  was  growing  almost  slim,  gardening  and  berry- 
ing and  hill-climbing  on  Doctor  Jim's  Berkshire 

178 


TWINS    TO    THE    RESCUE 

farm,  and  that  her  pink  chiffon  dress,  the  prin- 
cess's "  wedding  present "  to  her,  was  a  dream 
"  I  don't  want  to  grow  vain,"  wrote  Plain  Mary 
apologetically,  "  but  when  you've  never  had  any 
becoming  clothes  and  never  thought  you  could 

have  any,  a  pink  chiffon  dress  like  mine  is 

Oh,  you  know,  Nancy,  what  I'm  trying  to  say." 

"  She  means,"  Jane  interpreted  sagely,  "  that 
it's  an  epoch-making  experience — an  adventure  in 
the  pure  joy  of  living.  Well,  none  of  'em  can 
beat  you  in  the  matter  of  adventures,  N.  Lee. 
You  always  did  attract  excitement,  enviable 
mortal  I "  And  then  Jane  proceeded  to  try  to 
extract  the  promise  from  Nancy  concerning  what 
she  should  and  should  not  do  while  her  two  guests 
were  off  on  a  morning  stroll. 

"  It's  just  exactly  this,"  she  explained,  in  answer 
to  Nancy's  question.  "  You're  not  to  be  on  the 
lookout  any  more  at  present.  You're  not  to  try 
to  find  any  more  unfortunates.  Your  private 
collection  of  Waifs  and  Strays  is  already  as  big  as 
we  can  handle.  We're  quite  willing,  of  course,  to 
be  Perfect  Guests,  and  busy  Wonder- Workers,  and 
to  live  up  to  all  the  vows  of  the  Triangle  about 
coming  to  the  rescue  of  one  another.  But  already 
we've  got  mysteries  to  solve,  strange  ladies  to  find 
and  champion,  a  business  to  boom,  a  child  to  divert 
— that's  fully  two  weeks'  work,  you  know,  N.  Lee." 

179 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  All  right,"  laughed  Nancy.  "  I  hereby  sol- 
emnly promise  not  to  be  on  the  lookout  while 
you're  gone.  I'll  turn  my  back  to  the  rocks  and 
mend  stockings  like  anything.  Because,"  she  con- 
fessed, "  there  does  seem  to  be  a  sort  of  black  magic 
about  this  Birdcage.  Almost  everything  I've  dis- 
covered has  been  from  here." 

"  Then  hadn't  you  better  go  back  to  the  piazza  ?  " 
suggested  earnest  little  Christina,  who  took  the 
matter  of  arranging  Nancy's  tangled  Lookout  cases 
very  seriously  indeed. 

But  Nancy  refused  to  move ;  the  new  green  cush- 
ions were  so  pretty,  more  white  irises  were  coming 
out  in  her  private  garden,  and  there  was  a  breeze 
down  in  the  Birdcage  that  didn't  reach  the  piazza 
at  all.  So,  leaving  her  in  her  favorite  retreat, 
Christina  and  Jane,  armed  with  a  map  of  the  Point 
that  showed  the  Bride's  cottage,  the  Green  Knight's 
home,  "  Gray  Gables,"  and  "  The  Sign  of  the  Dol- 
phin," sauntered  out  down  Lighthouse  Road,  quar- 
reling amiably  about  the  best  route  for  them  to 
pursue.  Before  they  had  decided  anything,  they 
met  a  little  girl  who  had  been  selling  sweet-peas 
among  the  cottagers.  She  had  just  one  bunch 
left,  of  the  loveliest  rose-pink  blossoms. 

"  I  think  it  would  be  a  tactful  attention  to  send 
them  back  to  Nancy,"  suggested  Jane. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  agreed  Christina,  and  they  paid  for 

180 


TWINS    TO    THE    RESCUE 

the  flowers  and  told  the  child  just  how  to  get  to 
the  Birdcage. 

Only  a  few  steps  further  on,  they  met  a  barefoot, 
solemn-faced  boy,  carrying  pond-lilies.  He,  too, 
had  sold  most  of  his  flowers,  and  he  offered  the 
twins  what  were  left  for  a  dime.  Christina  could 
not  resist  pond-lilies  and  the  boy,  in  turn,  was 
directed  to  the  Birdcage. 

"  We're  certainly  being  the  Perfect  Guests  so 
far,"  said  Jane.  "  Please  let's  cross  the  Point  first, 
Christina.  We  can't  hope  to  find  a  housekeeping- 
bride  dawdling  around  on  the  rocks,  where  we  can 
scrape  acquaintance  with  her,  in  the  morning,  and 
it's  no  time  to  investigate  a  tea-shop  either.  This 
is  just  a  preliminary  exploring-trip,  and  I  want  to 
see  the  real,  broad  ocean." 

Meanwhile  Nancy  sat  in  the  Birdcage  talking  to 
the  sweet-pea  girl  and  the  pond-lily  boy,  who 
smiled  sheepishly  at  her  and  dug  their  toes  rest- 
lessly into  the  knot-holes  in  the  Birdcage  floor. 
But  though  they  were  ill  at  ease,  they  seemed 
to  enjoy  their  call. 

"  It's  pretty  here,  ain't  it  ?  "  said  the  little  girl. 
"  He  and  I  live  next  door  to  each  other  down  on 
the  Neck." 

"  Wa'n't  many  lilies  to-day,"  volunteered  the 
boy.  "  You  summer-folks  are  all  crazy  about 

lilies." 

181 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  What  do  you  do  in  winter,  when  we've 
gone?  "  asked  Nancy. 

"  Work  in  the  cannery,"  from  the  girl. 

"  After  you're  fourteen,  or  can  make  the  in- 
spector think  you  are,"  added  the  boy. 

"  It's  awful  lonesome  here  winters,"  put  in  the 
girl.  "  All  the  fathers  are  off  on  the  Banks  fishing, 
and  you  never  know  how  they're  doing,  or  when 
they'll  get  back." 

"  Yes,  all  our  fun  comes  in  summer,"  the  boy 
contributed.  "  The  Fourth  of  July  is  great  for 
us,  but  Thanksgiving  and  Christmas — they're 
frosts.  I  won't  be  a  fisherman  when  I  grow 
up." 

"  You  can't  be  anything  else,"  said  the  girl, 
"  'cept  a  canner,  and  that's  worse.  It's  a  woman's 
job,  mostly,  like  cooking." 

"  Don't  you  have  the  library  and  the  reading- 
room  to  go  to  after  work  ?  "  asked  Nancy. 

"  Naw  !  "  the  boy  was  scornful.  "  That's  all  for 
the  summer  people.  There's  a  libr'y  in  the  town, 
but  the  trolley  doesn't  run  after  September,  and  it's 
pretty  far  to  walk — four  miles.  I  wisht  I  lived  in 
the  town." 

"  I  don't,"  said  the  girl.  "  I'd  rather  live  on  the 
Neck,  where  you  c'n  have  flower-gardens,  and 
peddle  flowers  to  the  summer- folks.  Only  I  do 
wish  we  could  save  up  some  of  our  Fourth  of  July 

182 


TWINS    TO    THE    RESCUE 

till  Christmas.  I  guess  I  must  be  going  now. 
Good-bye." 

"  Good-bye,"  echoed  the  boy,  sidling  along  after 
his  little  neighbor. 

"  Oh,  tell  me  your  names ! "  Nancy  called  has- 
tily after  them.  "  Do  you  know  Mrs.  Miggs  ? " 
she  asked,  when  introductions  had  been  effected. 

"  Sure  we  do,"  said  the  boy  heartily. 

"  She's  an  awful  nice  lady,"  testified  the  girl. 
"  Her  daughter  lives  on  the  Neck  near  us,  and  her 
granddaughter  that's  sick." 

When  they  had  gone,  Nancy  chuckled  with  de- 
light. The  twins  had  done  it  I  The  black  magic 
of  the  Birdcage  lookout  had  infected  them — made 
them  play  right  into  its  hands.  For  here  were  two 
more  to  be  helped. 

"  But  it's  quite  easy  to  see  how,"  mused  Nancy. 
"  We  can  leave  a  Thanksgiving  and  a  Christmas 
for  them  with  Mrs.  Miggs.  Or  we  can  send  it — 
one  that  will  be  nice  for  her  grandchild  too. 
Goodness  I  How  busy  being  on  the  lookout  does 
keep  you ! " 

Nancy  lay  back  among  her  green  cushions, 
thinking.  There  were  ever  so  many  little  flower- 
girls,  and  girls  who  came  for  washings,  and  paper- 
boys, and  pond-lily  boys  wandering  about  the 
Point.  They  were  all  thin,  wistful-eyed,  eager 
little  creatures.  Probably  most  of  them  lived 

183 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

on  the  Neck,  with  its  straggling  lanes  of  ugly, 
weather-worn,  decrepit  little  houses,  and  worked 
hard  through  the  long,  lonesome  winters  while 
their  fathers  were  at  sea.  It  really  ought  to  be  a 
big  Christmas,  enough  for  all  of  those  children. 
Nancy  wondered  that  the  summer  colony  had 
never  thought  to  do  anything  for  them.  There 
was  a  big  fair  at  the  Inn  every  year,  at  which  the 
cottage  people  all  helped,  but  Nancy  couldn't  re- 
member what  it  was  for — certainly  not,  however, 
for  a  children's  Christmas. 

"  Morning,  Miss  Lee."  Doctor  "  Sammy  "  Jen- 
nings was  peering  amusedly  down  at  his  absent- 
minded  young  patient.  "  How's  the  ankle  ? 
Suppose  you  walk  across  this  summer-house  floor 
and  see  how  it  goes." 

It  went  beautifully ! 

"  That's  the  advantage  of  good  care  and  com- 
plete rest,"  said  Doctor  Jennings  complacently. 
"  Now  can  I  trust  you  to  be  very  careful " 

"  I'm  afraid  not,"  laughed  Nancy.  "  I'm  gen- 
erally careless  every  chance  I  get." 

"  Mustn't  be,"  continued  the  doctor.  "  Walk  a 
little  bit  to-day,  and  a  little  bit  more  to-morrow. 
Yes,  go  driving,  if  you  like.  Tennis?  Oh,  you'll 
come  to  that  after  a  while — not  for  some  time,  of 
course.  Better  get  a  rubber  bandage.  Now  don't 
take  any  risks,  climbing  on  slippery  rocks.  Go 

184 


TWINS    TO    THE    RESCUE 

slow.  You  don't  need  me  any  more.  I'll  come 
and  take  you  driving  some  day  soon.  Just  now 
I'm  frightfully  busy." 

Nancy  suppressed  an  overwhelming  desire  to 
dance,  to  vault  over  the  Birdcage  railing,  to  walk 
sedately  down  the  path  and  out  to  find  and  aston- 
ish the  twins.  Fortunately,  just  as  she  had  de- 
cided that  it  really  couldn't  matter  how  far  you 
walked,  if  only  you  were  careful  at  every  step  how 
you  come  down  on  that  weak  ankle,  a  Roman- 
striped  umbrella  caught  her  eye,  bobbing  along 
the  path  to  the  public  rocks. 

"  Oh,  you're  there !  "  called  the  pretty  bride, 
catching  sight,  at  the  same  moment,  of  Nancy. 
"May  I  come  up?  I  think  I'll  go  round  this 
time ;  it's  a  very  hot  day,  out  here  in  the  sun. 

"  I  didn't  tell  you  my  name  before.  It's  Marion 
Dale — Mrs.  Roger  Dale."  The  pretty  bride,  reap- 
pearing after  a  minute  in  the  summer-house,  ap- 
peared to  be  in  a  very  brisk  and  businesslike 
mood  this  morning.  "  And  your  name  is  Lee, 
isn't  it  ?  I  saw  it  on  your  mail  box.  My  hus- 
band's gone  to  town  again,  and  this  time  I  feel 
that  I  simply  must  accomplish  something.  So 
I've  come  to  you — I  don't  know  any  one  else  out 
here.  You  say  you  can  cook,  but  do  you  know 
about  dampers?  And  is  what  you  know  any- 
thing that  you  can  tell  me  ?  I  never  in  all  my 

185 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

life  heard  dampers  mentioned,"  sighed  Mrs.  Dale 
forlornly.  "  There's  not  a  word  about  them  in 
any  of  my  ten  cook-books.  But  apparently 
there's  nothing  so  important  in  this  world,  or  so 
baffling." 

Nancy  nodded  sympathetically.  "  Yes,  the  fire 
is  certainly  the  worst  thing  about  cooking.  Don't 
you  know  when  yours  is  open  or  shut  ?  " 

The  bride  shook  her  head.  "  I  only  know  that 
it's  always  too  hot  or  too  cold,  or  else  it's  out  alto- 
gether. Shuffling  around  those  little  openings, 
and  pulling  handles  up  and  down,  doesn't  seem  to 
make  any  difference,  or  if  it  does  it's  the  wrong 
difference." 

Nancy  considered,  frowning.  "  If  I  could  take 
hold  of  that  stove  I  It's  so  hard  to  tell  you  1 
And  even  after  you  understand  the  way  it  works, 
you  have  to  sort  of  experiment,  because  each  stove 
has  its  own  little  crooks.  The  one  at  Miss  Mar- 
shall's bungalow  was  quite  different  from  the 
practice  ones  in  the  Fair  Oaks  Domestic  Science 
kitchen.  My  ankle  is  better  now — but — I — we — 
couldn't  go  out  this  afternoon  to  see  about  it,  be- 
cause we  have  another  engagement." 

Mrs.  Dale  looked  at  her  adviser  sadly.  "  It's 
not  that  I  mind  working  hard,  you  understand," 
she  said  almost  fiercely.  "  I  rather  like  things  to 
be  hard.  It  gives  you  such  a  fine  feeling  when 

186 


TWINS    TO    THE    RESCUE 

you've  mastered  them.  But  this — I  simply  can't 
do  it !  I  burn  the  toast,  the  steak  is  raw  inside 
and  scorched  outside,  and  the  coffee  is  muddy. 
My  puddings  are  a  sticky  mess,  and  my  pies  are 
terrible.  I  don't  a  bit  blame  my  husband  for  feel- 
ing cross  !  He's  gone  off  to  town  to-day  '  on  busi- 
ness.' I'm  perfectly  sure  that  he's  really  gone  to 
get  a  square  meal."  She  leaned  forward  and  faced 
Nancy  squarely.  "  I  suppose  the  thing  to  do  is 
to  give  up  and  hire  a  cook." 

"Why  do  you  call  it  giving  up?"  demanded 
Nancy. 

"  Why  ?  "  repeated  the  bride.  "  Why  ?  It  will 
show  that  I'm  a  failure,  won't  it?  Our  beautiful 
plan  will  be  spoiled.  Or  anyway  I  shall  be  left 
out  of  it."  Mrs.  Dale  paused,  and  added  hastily, 
"  Never  mind  about  that  part  of  it  now.  Just 
imagine  how  I  looked  forward  to  doing  everything 
for  my  husband.  I  never  dreamed  I  couldn't 
manage.  Oh,  quick,  tell  me  once  more  about  the 
top  row  of  holes  in  my  stove,  and  the  bottom  row. 
I've  just  time  to  get  back  before  the  grocer's 
wagon  is  due,  and  they  won't  leave  the  things,  I'm 
afraid,  if  I'm  not  there.  Yes,  yes,  I  think  I  see. 
Pipe  damper?  I  haven't  found  any.  Yes  I  Yes  ! 
Oh,  thank  you.  I'll  find  them  all  and  do  as 
you've  said,  and  perhaps  I  can  manage  that  fire. 
Ten  cook-books,  but  not  a  word  about  dampers  !  " 

187 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Off  went  the  Roman  parasol,  leaving  Nancy  a 
little  more  enlightened  about  the  case  of  the  tear- 
ful bride,  and  much  more  interested  and  more 
anxious  than  before  to  help  her  out  of  her  domestic 
difficulties. 

She  was  eager,  of  course,  to  tell  the  twins  all 
that  she  had  learned,  but  the  twins  showed  no 
intention  of  coming  back.  What  were  they  doing, 
Nancy  wondered,  out  so  long  in  the  hot  sun  ?  She 
would  have  wondered  still  more  if  she  could  have 
seen  them  just  then,  pacing  methodically  up  and 
down  a  particularly  hot  and  sunny  stretch  of 
Surf  Road,  one  on  one  edge,  one  on  the  other, 
following  an  alert  little  lady  who  fluttered  about 
so  fast  that  she  seemed  to  be  on  both  sides  of  the 
road  at  once.  And  over  the  restless  little  lady's 
trim  black  hat  dangled  a  long  green  veil.  Jane 
had  nudged  Christina  at  sight  of  it,  and  Christina 
had  nudged  back  understandingly.  But  that  was 
when  they  had  first  caught  sight  of  the  little  lady, 
who  was  then  running  distractedly  down  Surf  Road 
toward  the  spot  where  the  twins  sat  resting  and 
looking  off  at  the  sea.  And  as  she  ran,  her  flutter- 
ing hands  were  busily  pulling  and  twisting  at  the 
fastenings  of  the  green  veil,  which  was  drawn 
down  tight  over  her  face. 

"  Oh,  would  you  help  me  get  off  this  bothering 
thing?"  she  had  called,  the  minute  she  saw  the 

1 88 


TWINS    TO    THE    RESCUE 

twins.  "  I've  lost  something  very  valuable,  and  I 
can't  see  to  find  it.  Oh,  never  mind  if  you  tear 
the  veil.  I  don't  care  a  pin  for  it." 

"  Was  it  your  horse  that  galloped  past  us  just 
now  ? "  Jane  had  asked,  while  Christina  worked 
at  the  knots. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  admitted  the  green-veiled  lady. 
"  She  tipped  me  over,  and  before  I  could  think 
what  to  do  she  was  up  and  off.  I  oughtn't  to 
have  tried  to  drive  her  by  myself, — I  have  horrible 
luck  driving  horses, — but  I  was  in  a  hurry  and 
Jules,  my  gardener,  was  spraying  roses  and  couldn't 
very  well  stop,  and  Lawrence — that's  my  boy — 
was  off  for  the  morning,  before  I  remembered  that 
I  must  go  to  town.  Lady's  all  right.  She'll  stop 
in  a  minute  and  go  to  eating  grass.  I'll  send 
Jules  after  her.  But  what  worries  me  is  my 
bundle.  I  can't  lose  that  I  " 

"  We'll  help  you  hunt,  if  you'll  tell  us  where  to 
look  and  what  to  look  for,"  volunteered  Christina. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  my  dear  I "  cried  the  lady. 
"  It's  a  brown  paper  parcel,  about  a  foot  and  a 
half  square  and  perhaps  three  inches  thick,  and  it 
fell  out  somewhere  between  the  place  back  there 
in  the  road  where  the  gravel  is  all  pawed  up — 
that's  where  Lady  started  plunging — and  the  place 
down  there  where  the  bushes  are  bent.  There's 
where  she  spilled  me  out.  Everything  else  went 

189 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

out  too,  somewhere  between  those  two  places.  I've 
found  the  whip  and  the  dust-robe  and  the  hitch- 
ing-rein  and  a  letter  that  my  boy  Lawrence  forgot 
to  mail  for  me  yesterday,  but  I  can't  find  my 
bundle." 

"  It  must  have  dropped  down  in  the  bushes," 
Jane  decided  easily.  "  We'll  each  take  one  side 
of  the  road.  Don't  you  want  to  do  something 
about  your  horse  before  she  gets  any  further 
away  ? " 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  lady  impatiently.  "  Lawrence 
and  Jules  can  attend  to  her  later.  I  must  find 
this  bundle  !  Nothing  else  matters." 

There  was  something  fascinating  about  the 
little  lady ;  she  was  so  anxious  about  her  lost 
bundle,  so  nonchalant  about  her  runaway  horse, 
so  absurdly  unsystematic  in  her  bobbing,  peering 
progress  along  the  road.  Besides,  she  was  the 
lady  of  mystery,  come  out  of  her  shrouding  green 
veil.  She  was  the  queer  mother  of  Nancy's  queer 
Green  Knight. 

"  Twins'  luck  I  "  muttered  Jane  to  Christina. 

The  sun  beat  down  pitilessly,  and  Surf  Road,  at 
the  point  Lady  had  chosen  for  her  manceuvers, 
was  stony  and  ankle-deep  in  sand. 

"  Do  you  s'pose  she  ever  had  a  bundle?"  mur- 
mured Christina  to  Jane.  "  She's  so  queer,  you 
know,  Nancy  said." 

190 


TWINS    TO    THE    RESCUE 

But  in  another  minute  the  bundle  came  to  light, 
Christina,  in  despair,  having  gone  all  the  way 
down  the  bank  and  found  it  impossibly  far  off 
under  a  blackberry  bush. 

The  green-veiled  lady  hugged  Christina  impul- 
sively, and  then  hugged  her  bundle.  "  I  should 
never  have  found  it  myself  I  "she  said.  "Let's 
sit  down  and  rest." 

"  Is  it  all  there  ?  "  asked  Jane,  craftily  intent  on 
getting  as  much  information  as  possible  in  return 
for  her  exhausting  search  after  the  strange  lady's 
mysterious  bundle.  "  The  wrapping  paper  is  a 
good  deal  torn  at  the  corner." 

The  lady  examined  the  tear  critically,  thus  ex- 
posing to  Jane's  curious  gaze  the  fact  that  the 
whole  bundle  was  nothing  but  a  sheaf  of  loose 
papers. 

Before  Jane  thought,  she  sniffed  angrily,  "  Pa- 
pers !  I  thought  it  was  money  you'd  lost  or  jew- 
elry." 

The  green-veiled  lady  hugged  her  precious  bun- 
dle tighter  and  laughed  heartily  at  Jane's  scorn. 
"  Both  those  things  are  here,  maybe,"  she  cried, 
"  though  you  can't  see  them,  and  something  be- 
sides, that's  any  amount  more  precious."  Her 
eager  little  face  grew  sober.  "  I  wish  I  could  tell 
you  all  about  it,  my  dears,  to  pay  you  for  your 
long,  hot  hunt.  But  I  mustn't.  My  boy  Law- 

191 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

rence  will  be  highly  indignant  with  me  as  it  is. 
He'll  say  I  haven't  played  fair.  I  didn't  think 
about  that  before,  because  I  was  so  anxious  to  get 
my  precious  bundle,  first,  into  the  post,  and  then 
back  into  my  possession.  Now  I  must  go  and  re- 
wrap  it,  and  send  poor,  overworked  Jules  after 
that  miserable  horse — unless  I  can  find  Lawrence. 
And  above  all,  I  mustn't  sit  here  chatting  with 
you  two.  But  I  do  wonder — is  either  of  you  the 
girl  who  sprained  her  ankle  out  on  the  rocks?  " 

"  No,  but  we're  visiting  her,"  chorused  the 
twins. 

11  Really  ?  How  odd  !  "  laughed  the  lady.  "  All 
the  more  reason,  Lawrence  would  say,  for  me  to 
pin  down  this  hot,  ridiculous,  maddening  old  veil 
and  proceed  home  to  business.  Please,  please 
don't  think  ;me  rude  and  horrid  and  ungrateful. 
I  suppose  you  can't  help  thinking  me  perfectly 
ridiculous ! "  And  with  a  shrouded  but  very 
friendly  smile,  and  a  wave  of  the  hand  that  some- 
how made  the  tired,  hot,  puzzled  twins  feel  pleas- 
ant again  in  spite  of  themselves,  the  green-veiled 
lady  tripped  away  up  Surf  Road. 

"  So  she  isn't  disfigured,  and  she  isn't  particu- 
larly young  and  lovely,"  Jane  summarized  their 
discoveries  to  Nancy  later.  "  And  the  boy's  name 
is  Lawrence  and  the  gardener's  name  is  Jules,  and 
I  don't  believe  she's  hiding  from  any  importu- 

192 


TWINS    TO    THE    RESCUE 

nate  lover.  She's  comical  and  friendly  and  the 
kind  of  person  you  can't  help  Diking.  I  wish  I 
could  have  made  her  explain  what  she  meant 
about  those  papers,  and  her  not  '  playing  fair '  and 
the  indignation  of  Lawrence.  Now  let's  swap 
with  the  boys  for  all  they  know — make  a  bargain 
that  they're  to  tell  us  everything,  and  among  us 
all  something  ought  to  develop.  Exonerating  the 
Green  Knight  and  family  from  the  unjust  suspi- 
cions of  their  neighbors  is  the  part  of  Nancy's  job 
that  I  like  best." 

"  Aren't  you  going  to  help  with  all  the  other 
things,  Jane?"  asked  Christina  anxiously. 

Jane  shrugged.  "  There'll  be  some  easy  way  of 
settling  those,  I  imagine,"  she  said.  "  That  is,  if 
you  and  Nancy  don't  go  to  worrying  and  getting 
solemncholy  over  them.  You  must  remember 
that  this  lookout  business  is  a  game.  Mrs.  Miggs 
started  Nancy  on  it  to  cheer  her  up,  not  to  wear 
her  out.  Everybody  has  to  get  used  to  seeing  lots 
of  things  that  he  can't  help  go  wrong  in  this  world, 
so  we  might  as  well  begin  now.  Anyhow,"  con- 
cluded Jane  calmly,  "  as  long  as  you  can  make  a 
game  of  helping  people,  with  all  the  hop,  skip, 
and  go  of  a  game  in  it,  that's  as  long  as  you'll 
really  help  'em  to  amount  to  anything.  Think 
over  your  long  and  melancholy  pasts  and  you'll 
see  that  I'm  right." 


CHAPTER  XI 

PUTTING   A    KINK    IN    THE    DOLPHIN'S   TAIL 

OF  course,  now  that  she  was  allowed  to  drive 
out,  Nancy  transferred  the  tea-party  she  had 
planned  for  the  twins'  first  afternoon  from  the 
Birdcage  to  the  Dolphin  tea-house,  which  she 
couldn't  wait  a  day  longer  than  necessary  to  see. 
The  transfer  was  easy ;  she  had  only  to  telephone 
Louise  Minot  at  the  Inn,  and  Alexandra  and  Ce- 
cilia, and  send  for  one  of  the  public  carriages  to 
take  her  down  to  the  new  meeting-place.  For  un- 
luckily nobody  but  Nancy  herself  had  any  faith 
in  her  argument  that  she  could  walk  a  long  way 
if  she  were  only  careful  enough. 

The  tea-party  had  no  connection  with  tea,  which 
none  of  the  girls  ever  drank  if  she  could  help  it. 
Instead,  there  were  sandwiches,  cinnamon  toast, 
lemonade,  ices,  little  cakes,  and  candies,  served,  of 
course,  on  a  tiffin  table  on  the  piazza,  with  Hope 
Haskins,  her  eyes  dancing  at  sight  of  Nancy,  to 
"  work  "  the  trays. 

"  Can't  you  come  and  eat  with  us  after  you've 
brought  our  things  in  ? "  asked  Nancy,  catching 

194 


THE    DOLPHIN'S    TAIL 

Hope  in  a  corner.  The  rest  of  the  party  were 
scattered  about  the  rooms,  looking  at  the  pretty 
things  that  were  for  sale  or  admiring  Miss  Willis's 
old  brasses. 

"  Oh,  no  I  "  said  Hope,  in  consternation.  "  How 
unbusinesslike  it  would  look  !  And  if  Miss  Willis 
didn't  mind,  how  cross  Miss  Little  and  Miss  Green 
would  feel.  Miss  Minot,  too,  maybe.  She  looked 
funny  when  she  saw  you  introducing  me  to  your 
two  guests.  Oh,  Nancy,  I'm  glad  you  came  to-day, 
because  it's  my  last  week  here.  Fixed  expenses 
must  go  down.  And  I'm  glad  you  came  early,  be- 
cause I  have  errands  to  do  later  out  on  the  Point. 
More  new  dresses  to  carry  to  the  little  sickly  girl 
at  '  Gray  Gables.'  Miss  Willis  does  the  loveliest 
embroidery  on  them." 

"  Oh,  Nancy,  come  look  at  these  ducky  ginger- 
bread men,"  called  Louise  Minot.  "  Will  you  take 
some  back  for  me  to  Bill  and  Joe  ?  " 

Nancy  looked  at  the  dolls.  "  Yes,  of  course, 
only  I  want  that  one  with  wings  for  a  sick  child 
— Clare  Smith  at  '  Gray  Gables.'  Hope's  going 
out  there  ;  she  can  take  it." 

"  There  !  "  exulted  Jane  in  Nancy's  ear.  "  One 
thing  on  that  list  easily  disposed  of.  Why  not 
dump  the  dampers  on  Hope  too  ?  Send  the  bride 
a  gingerbread  doll — or  no,  some  of  those  sweet 
little  bridey-looking  cakes  with  swirly  frosting,  for 

195 


N^NCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

her  dessert  to-night,  and  a  note  to  say  you've 
secured  her  a  damper  expert,  on  the  afternoon 
indicated  in  her  order." 

"  Maybe  Hope  isn't  one." 

"  Sure  she  is  I  A  girl  with  the  owl  for  her 
sacred  bird,  living  out  in  the  country,  where  every- 
body is  a  wonderful  cook — she's  never  let  dampers 
get  by  her.  There's  another  thing  off  our  hands  !  " 

Nancy  caught  Hope  again,  as  she  flew  by  with 
the  first  trayful  for  the  party,  and  Hope  was  as 
good  as  Jane's  word  for  her.  "  Of  course  I  can 
show  the  lady  if  she'll  let  me.  That's  one  thing 
I  certainly  do  know  about — stoves.  You  can 
safely  say  that  in  your  note.  And  Miss  Willis 
will  be  glad  to  have  me  go  there  as  long  as  it 
means  a  sale  of  our  cakes." 

"  Hope,  will  you  have  to  wait  a  year  longer  for 
college  ?  "  demanded  Nancy  hastily. 

Hope  nodded.  "  I'm  afraid  so.  But  anyhow, 
I've  had  all  the  fun  of  thinking  I  was  going  this 
fall.  Please  don't  keep  me  any  longer.  It  doesn't 
look  well,  Nancy  Lee.  Besides,  it's  time  for  your 
party  to  sit  down." 

So  Nancy  gathered  her  forces  around  the  loaded 
table,  and  amid  much  laughter  and  chattering  the 
party  proceeded.  Louise  and  Alexandra  liked 
both  the  twins,  and  Cecilia  liked  Christina  but 
was  determined  not  to  find  anything  fascinating 

196 


THE    DOLPHIN'S    TAIL 

about  Jane,  just  because  Nancy  had  spoken  of  her 
in  such  glowing  terms.  Besides,  Cecilia  was  cross 
this  afternoon.  Her  cousin  Peter  had  pushed  her 
off  the  float  when  they  were  all  in  swimming  that 
morning,  in  an  unsolicited  effort  to  "  make  her 
more  at  home  in  the  water,"  and  her  aunt  had 
objected  to  her  going  to  the  Inn  for  dinner  with  a 
family  who  were  strangers  to  the  Littles.  Cecilia 
felt  abused.  It  annoyed  her  to  watch  Hope,  with 
that  shining,  sparkling  look  in  her  eyes,  hurrying 
back  and  forth,  or  hovering  adoringly '  behind 
Nancy's  chair.  Cecilia's  and  Alexandra's  opinion 
of  her  she  seemed  to  ignore  entirely,  enjoying  life 
just  as  thoroughly  as  ever.  After  everything  had 
been  served,  Hope  brought  a  paper  and  pencil  to 
Nancy,  whispered  something  in  her  ear,  and  said 
"  Thank  you  1  "  with  a  little  ecstatic  thrill  in  her 
voice,  when  Nancy,  having  scribbled  something 
on  the  paper,  handed  it  back.  Cecilia  could  stand 
it  no  longer. 

"  You  seem  to  have  a  great  many  secrets  with 
our  waitress,"  she  said  irritably. 

"  Secrets?  "  Nancy  looked  at  her  blankly.  "  Oh, 
it's  no  secret.  Hope  is  going  to  do  an  errand  for 
me.  You  know  the  pretty  bride  I  told  you  about, 
out  by  the  lighthouse — Mrs.  Roger  Dale  is  her 
name.  Well,  she's  been  to  see  me  again,  and  one 
of  her  troubles  is  that  she  doesn't  know  anything 

197 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

about  stove-dampers.  Hope's  going  to  show  her, 
when  she  stops  there  with  some  little  cakes." 

Cecilia  laughed  disagreeably.  "  If  that's  her 
trouble,  it's  fortunate  I  didn't  go  to  see  her.  I 
never  touched  a  cooking-stove." 

"  Great  Hat  1  What  a  helpless,  hapless  bride  you'll 
make  !"  drawled  Jane,  at  which  everybody  laughed 
but  Cecilia,  and  Nancy  hastened  to  change  the 
subject. 

But  the  only  thing  she  could  think  of  to  say 
was,  "  Hope's  going  to  lose  her  place  here,  because 
there's  not  enough  patronage  to  keep  an  extra  girl 
busy.  That  means  she  won't  have  money  enough 
to  start  her  college  course  in  September." 

"  Oh,  what  a  shame  !  "  cried  impulsive  little 
Christina. 

"  I'm  sorry,  I'm  sure,"  said  Cecilia  stiffly, 
"  though  she  certainly  doesn't  look  as  if  she 
wanted  any  one's  pity.  She  looks  just — sicken- 
ingly  happy." 

"  Oh,  C.  I  "  protested  Alexandra. 

"  I  can't  help — I  mean  it,"  Cecilia  insisted.  "  It 
always  makes  me  cross  to  see  anybody  just  throw- 
ing it  in  your  face  that  they're  so  perfectly  con- 
tented with  life — specially  when  they  haven't  any 
reason  to  be." 

"  I  should  imagine,"  put  in  quiet  Louise  Minot, 
"  from  what  Nancy  has  just  told  us  that  she's  do- 

198 


THE    DOLPHIN'S    TAIL 

ing  what  the  boys  call  '  keeping  a  stiff  upper  lip.' 
I'd  be  doing  that  most  of  the  time,  I  think,  in  her 
place.  She  works  in  the  Inn  dining-room,  you 
know,  and  she  looks  about  as  big  as  a  minute  carry- 
ing a  heavy  trayful  of  dishes.  I  never  spoke  to 
her,  but  I've  noticed  that  bright,  excited  sort  of 
expression  that  she  always  wears.  She  never  looks 
tired  or  cross." 

"  So  you're  one  of  her  admirers,  too,  Louise," 
scoffed  Cecilia.  She  turned  to  her  cousin.  "  We 
seem  to  be  in  the  minority." 

"  Why,  of  course  I  admire  her,  Cecilia,"  Alex- 
andra began  placidly,  "  for  being  plucky  and 

wanting  to  make  the  most  of  herself.    Only " 

Alexandra  paused  meaningly. 

"  I  say,  Nancy,  I've  had  an  idea."  Jane  had 
been  very  quiet  for  her,  all  the  afternoon,  her 
thoughts  far  away  on  the  mysterious  green-veiled 
lady.  But  she  had  felt  Hope's  charm,  and  now 
she  shared  Nancy's  irritation  at  Cecilia.  "  Hope 
belongs  in  the  W.  W.'s,"  Jane  went  on,  after  an 
impressive  pause.  "  Hadn't  you  thought  of  it  ? 
We  must  initiate  her  at  the  very  earliest  oppor- 
tunity." 

"  Oh,  yes !  "  Nancy  took  up  the  idea  eagerly. 
"  She  would  be  a  splendid  member,  wouldn't  she  ? 
The  W.  W.V — Nancy  turned  politely  to  the  three 

outsiders — "  is  a  secret  society  at  Fair  Oaks " 

199 


NANCY    LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

11  Started  at  Fair  Oaks  School,"  interposed  Jane, 

"  but  it  takes  in Well,  the  nearest  that  I 

can  tell  you  and  keep  the  secrecy  pledge,  is  to  say 
that  distinguished  persons  wherever  found  are  ad- 
mitted." 

"  Aren't  any  of  the  rest  of  us  eligible  ?  "  asked 
Louise. 

Jane  shrugged.  "  I  can't  see  that  you  are,  can 
you,  Christina  darling?  But  the  boys  are  work- 
ing that  way.  We  may  be  able  to  initiate  them 
before  the  summer  is  over — that  is,  if  they  accom- 
plish what  we  think  they  will,  instead  of  what 
they  want  to." 

"  Oh,  have  they  told  you  what  they  do  off  by 
themselves  all  the  time  ?  "  demanded  Alexandra. 
"  Peter  is  a  regular  clam  about  it." 

Jane  smilingly  pressed  her  advantage.  "  They 
told  us  because  we  helped  them.  Nancy  helped 
them  a  lot  at  first,  and  Christina  and  I  a  little 
this  morning.  You'd  better  get  into  the  game." 
Jane  squinted  at  the  Dolphin  sign  which  swung 
from  a  piazza  pillar  and  changed  the  subject  with 
enlivening  abruptness.  "  That  Dolphin  would  be 
a  lot  nicer  with  more  kink  in  his  tail." 

"  Why  don't  you  go  and  tell  the  lady  at  the 
desk  so?"  asked  Cecilia,  thinking  she  saw  a  chance 
to  disconcert  this  maddeningly  superior  girl,  who 
had  found  out  the  boys'  carefully  guarded  secret 

200 


THANKS,     I    WAS    JUST    GOING 


THE    DOLPHIN'S    TAIL 

in  a  day,  while  Cecilia  had  been  working  vainly 
for  weeks  to  make  them  confide  in  her.  "  She 
owns  this  place,  and  evidently  she's  not  making 
a  success  of  it,  in  spite  of  your  wonderful  Hope's 
help.  Her  name  is  Miss  Willis." 

Jane  arose  smilingly.  "  Thanks,  I  was  just 
going,"  she  announced,  and  marched  blandly 
down  the  piazza  and  in  at  the  door.  Nancy  and 
Christina  stared,  open-eyed,  after  her,  Christina 
alarmed,  Nancy  triumphant,  but  both  curious  and 
longing  to  follow.  Only  that  might  spoil  Jane's 
plan,  whatever  it  was;  if  she  wanted  help,  she 
would  tell  them. 

So  they  sat  still  and  joined  animatedly  in  the 
talk  about  a  yacht-race  for  which  a  Mr.  Ellis,  a 
guest  at  the  Inn,  had  offered  prizes.  Mr.  Ellis 
had  no  boat  himself — didn't  even  care  for  sailing. 
He  was  just  a  public-spirited  gentleman  who  en- 
joyed Halcyon  and  wanted  to  help  keep  things 
lively.  He  didn't  dance,  but  he  subscribed  gener- 
ously to  the  Saturday  dances,  and  he  had  been  an 
enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  Fourth  of  July  cele- 
bration. The  race  was  to  be  on  a  Saturday  after- 
noon, with  a  picnic  supper  at  the  boat-house  and 
a  moonlight  "  float "  in  the  evening — all  Mr.  El- 
lis's  idea. 

"  He's  a  funny  little  man,"  Louise  explained  to 
the  others,  who  had  never  heard  of  the  wonderful 

20 1 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Mr.  Ellis.  "  He's  young  and  rather  good-looking, 
only  he's  too  white  and  soft  and  do-nothing  for 
my  taste.  He  never  does  do  anything,  except 
read  and  smoke  and  walk  a  little,  arrayed  in 
beautiful  white  flannels.  He  is  pleasant  to  every- 
body and  seems  to  want  to  be  popular,  or  he 
wouldn't  bother  with  things  like  this  race;  but  he 
is  perfectly  content  with  his  own  society.  He 
1  flocks  by  himself/  as  the  boys  say,  except  occa- 
sionally for  politeness'  sake." 

Cecilia  sighed.  "  I  wish  I  had  a  boat  to  sail — 
or  knew  how  to  sail,  so  I  could  ship  as  somebody's 
helper.  Peter's  going  to  help  Dick,  and  Cornelia 
is  going  out  with  her  brother.  Suppose  we  girls 
have  some  kind  of  athletic  contest.  Nancy,  you 
said  we  could  have  a  tennis  tournament.  Why 
don't  we?" 

Nancy  laughed.  "  I  was  waiting  till  I  could 
play,  I  suppose,  but  that  won't  be  yet  a  while. 
We'll  have  one  day  after  to-morrow.  Does  that 
suit  everybody?  And  Louise,  can  you  invite 
three  or  four  extra  girls  from  the  Inn  to  play  ? 
Dick  says  that  we  ought  to  have  at  least  eight  for 
a  tournament.  He  knows  how  to  draw  the  names 
out  and  arrange  for  partners." 

Louise  would  get  the  extra  players,  and  the  day 
suited  every  one. 

"  Mother  said  that  if  we  had  a  tournament  she 

202 


THE    DOLPHIN'S    TAIL 

wanted  to  offer  prizes,"  contributed  Alexandra. 
"  As  we  haven't  a  court  or  a  boat,  we're  getting  all 
our  good  times  through  our  friends,  and  she  wants 
to  do  something  in  return." 

"  If  Aunt  May  gets  prizes,  they'll  be  worth  hav- 
ing," declared  Cecilia.  "  Don't  ask  girls  who  play 
too  well,  Louise,  because  I  want  a  chance  at  those 
prizes." 

"  It's  a  shame  you  can't  play,  Nancy,"  said  little 
Christina.  "  Why  not  wait  till  next  week  ?  " 

But  Nancy  said  no  ;  they  could  do  something 
else  next  week,  and  it  was  better  to  have  the 
tennis  match  when  everybody  was  enthusiastic 
for  it. 

Just  then  Jane  stuck  her  head  out  the  door. 
"  Christina  darling,"  she  drawled,  "  come  and  buy 
a  duck  of  a  candle-shade  that  I've  discovered  in 
here." 

"  I  don't  believe  I  can  afford "  began  Chris- 
tina doubtfully. 

"  Hurry,  please,"  ordered  Jane,  with  a  comical 
gesture  in  the  direction  of  the  tea-party,  and  the 
small  twin  meekly  rose  to  the  occasion. 

"  Isn't  Jane  Learned  odd  and  amusing  ?"  said 
Louise,  when  Christina  had  gone.  "  Do  you  sup- 
pose she  really  said  that  to  Miss  Willis  about  the 
Dolphin's  tail  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  laughed  Nancy,  "  and  it's  no 

203 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

use  asking  until  she's  ready  to  tell  us.  Whatever 
it  is,  it's  sure  to  be  something  comical." 

It  was  fully  ten  minutes  before  the  twins  reap- 
peared, Christina  carrying  the  candle-shade  done 
up  in  a  neat  bundle. 

"  Well,  did  you  tell  her  ?  "  asked  Cecilia  indif- 
ferently. 

"  Sure  I  told  her,"  returned  Jane,  "  and  we 
agreed  perfectly.  Beginning  about  to-morrow 
there'll  be  a  kink  in  his  tail."  Jane  lopped  down 
in  a  big  wicker-chair  and  gave  a  deep  sigh  of  sat- 
isfaction. "  Did  you  notice  her  ?  "  she  asked  the 
party.  "  Miss  Willis,  I  -mean.  Great  Hat,  but 
she  can  draw  1  Too  bad  she's  the  kind  of  artist 
that  hasn't  any  artistic  sense  left  over  for  clothes, 
and  that  has  to  be  reminded  what  an  improve- 
ment it  will  be  to  put  a  curl  in  her  Dolphin's  tail. 
In  other  words,"  said  Jane,  "  she's  a  frump,  and 
she  hasn't  a  sense  of  humor,  but  when  you  put  it 
up  to  her,  she  certainly  can  draw  !  Wait  till  you 
see ! " 

"  What  did  you  do,  Jane  ? "  asked  Nancy. 
"  You  really  ought  to  tell  us,  you  know,  after 
we've  waited  around  for  you  so  long." 

Jane  only  shrugged  again.  "  You'd  have  stayed 
anyhow.  Unfortunately  there's  no  rush  for  tables, 
to  suggest  the  necessity  of  breaking  up  this  per- 
fectly good  party.  Besides,  I  have  told  you.  I  sug- 

204 


THE    DOLPHIN'S    TAIL 

gested  the  advantage  of  putting  a  kink  in  the 
Dolphin's  tail,  and  Miss  Willis  agreed,  and  it's  to 
be  done.  If  you  want  to  see  it,  when  done,"  con- 
cluded Jane  coldly,  "  I  suppose  you'll  have  to 
come  around  this  way  to-morrow,  or  the  day  after, 
or  both."  Thereafter  Jane  resolutely  refused  to 
say  anything  more,  and  Cecilia  suggested  that  they 
really  ought  to  play  a  little  tennis  before  dinner. 
Louise  could  use  Nancy's  shoes  and  racquet,  and 
they  could  take  turns  staying  out,  changing  every 
two  or  three  games. 

"  There's  Mr.  Ellis  now,"  said  Louise,  as  they 
stood  by  the  roadside,  having  helped  Nancy  into 
her  carriage. 

"  He  is  good-looking  I  " 

"  Any  man  is,  in  good-looking  flannels." 

"  I  don't  like  his  face ;  his  mouth  looks  mean, 
somehow." 

"  Why  !  "  Nancy  broke  into  the  chorus  of  com- 
ment, "  I  think  he's  the  one  who  came  in  to  see 
about  Regent's  barking,  the  night  of  the  Parkes' 
burglary  and  the  '  Gray  Gables '  ghost.  Oh,  he 
certainly  is  the  one  I  At  first  Dick  tried  to  make 
me  think  I'd  seen  the  burglar,  but  he  rather 
changed  his  mind  later.  Now  he'll  be  thoroughly 
convinced." 

"  Did  Mr.  Parke's  detectives  ever  find  out  any- 
thing about  that  burglary  ?  "  asked  Alexandra. 

205 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  No,"  Louise  reported,  "  they  said  there  was 
nothing  to  work  on,  and  it's  all  been  dropped." 

"  Good-bye  I  I'll  have  the  things  ready  for  you, 
Louise."  Nancy  signaled  her  driver  to  start.  She 
was  secretly  anxious  for  the  tennis  practice  to  be 
over.  Then  she  and  Christina  could  get  Jane  to 
themselves,  and  perhaps  Jane  would  tell  them 
what  she  had  really  said  to  Miss  Willis. 

But  before  the  chance  for  confidences  arrived 
the  twins  had  been  beaten  by  Cecilia  and  Louise, 
then  by  Cecilia  and  Alexandra,  and  Cecilia  had 
beaten  both  twins  in  singles — three-game  sets  to 
be  sure,  but  it  did  suggest,  as  Christina  said  sadly, 
that  Fair  Oaks  was  badly  outclassed. 

"  And  Jane  boasted  awfully  about  my  playing, 
on  the  way  back  here  from  the  Dolphin,"  sighed 
the  small  twin  mournfully. 

"  Well,  after  I'd  made  one  grand-stand  play — as 
I  hope,"  said  Jane,  "  I  thought  you'd  hold  up  our 
athletic  record.  But  I  never  saw  you  play  worse." 

"  Maybe  it's  the  strange  court,"  suggested  Nancy 
hopefully.  "  Dick  will  give  you  both  some  good 
hard  practice  to-morrow.  Now,  Jane  !  " 

Jane  laughed.  "  Oh,  it's  nothing  much  to  boast 
about,"  she  said  shamefacedly.  "  That  Cecilia 
person  made  me  feel  mad  right  straight  through, 
and  of  course  I  felt  sorry  for  Hope.  And  when  I 
thought  how  I'd  fussed  and  planned  and  toiled 

206 


THE    DOLPHIN'S    TAIL 

over  silly  old  scrapes  at  one  old  school  after  an- 
other, and  how  I'd  hate  to  work  a  whole  extra  winter 
up  among  the  Vermont  snow-drifts,  waiting  for  an 
education  to  come  my  way,  and  how  that  Cecilia 
person  never  has  to  wait  for  what  she  wants,  and 
how  we  terrible  twins  are  getting  old  enough  to 
take  hold  of  something  useful — with  all  that 
mixed  up  in  my  head,"  summarized  Jane,  "  why, 
of  course  I  got  up  and  walked  off,  when  the  Cecilia 
person  gave  me  the  cue,  just  bound  to  do  some- 
thing sensible  and  helpful  for  a  change.  But  I 
hadn't  an  idea  what  I'd  do  or  say  when  I  got  in 
there.  I  hadn't  even  had  a  thought  when  I  went 
back  to  get  Christina.  But  while  she  was  buying 
something,  I  had  a  chance  to  talk  carelessly  and 
think  hard.  Then  I  tucked  her  off  in  a  corner 
out  of  hearing,  and  just  let  the  sight  of  her  back 
hair  inspire  me  to  live  up  to  the  reputation  of  the 
terrible  twins.  And  now,"  Jane's  manner  was 
suddenly  tragic,  "  we  can't  practice  tennis  to- 
morrow morning,  girls,  unless  we  get  up  before 
breakfast.  Because  I've  solemnly  promised  that 
we'll  all  three  come  and  work  a  jig-saw,  or  a 
hammer  and  nails,  or  a  paint-brush  according  to 
circumstances,  the  whole  morning  long,  over  in 
the  Dolphin  tea-shop.  It's  a  big  job  for  one 
morning  anyhow,  and  we  can't  possibly  take  any 
time  off.  Miss  Willis's  nephew  is  coming  for  us 

207 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 
at  nine  o'clock.     He  doesn't  know  it  yet,  but  he 


is." 


"  Jane,  what  on  earth  do  you  mean  ?  "  demanded 
Nancy. 

"  Oh,  Jane,  what  mess  have  you  got  us  into 
now?  "  wailed  little  Christina. 

"  Oh,  only  helping  to  make  Dolphin  garden- 
sticks,"  announced  Jane,  "  and  fairy  and  mermaid 
and  parrot  and  bird-in-general  garden-sticks.  Re- 
member the  fairy  on  a  garden-stick  that  mother 
paid  three  round  dollars  for  in  New  York,  Chris- 
tina darling  ?  Well,  this  Miss  Willis  can  draw  one 
that  has  it  beaten  cold."  She  turned  to  Nancy. 
"  Green  stick  a  yard  or  so  long,  topped  by  quaint 
and  amusing  painted  wooden  figure  :  that's  the 
latest  thing  in  garden  decoration,  to  tie  up  your 
loppy  plants  to." 

"  And  is  that  the  curl  in  the  Dolphin's  tail  ?  " 
demanded  Nancy. 

"Why,  it's  just  one  more  thing  to  sell,"  remon- 
strated Christina.  "  The  candle-shades  are  lovely, 
but  they  didn't  help  much.  How  are  people  to 
know  about  it,  Jane  ?  You  said  to-morrow " 

"  Oh,  the  ones  to  sell  are  just  a  sort  of  side- 
issue."  Jane  dismissed  objections  brusquely.  "The 
main  point  is  a  row  of  curly-tailed  dolphins — two 
rows  of  'em — marching  up  each  side  of  the  front 
walk,  behind  the  little  box  trees,  and  more  rows 

208 


THE    DOLPHIN'S    TAIL 

bristling  along  the  piazza  railings.  Do  you  think 
people  can  resist  that  ?  Won't  they  be  crazy  to 
walk  up  between  those  rows  of  prancing  dolphins  ? 
— prancing  on  green  sticks.  And  then  of  course 
they'll  go  in.  And  gardening  is  such  a  fad  at 
present.  Seems  as  if  anybody  would  want  either 
a  dolphin  or  a  mermaid  for  a  sea-garden,  or  else  a 
fairy  or  a  bird  for  an  inland  garden,  to  tie  their 
roses  to,  and  their  larkspur  and  their  foxgloves 
and  their — I  don't  know  many  plant  names,"  said 
Jane,  "  but  I'd  want  some  sticks.  I  made  mother 
promise  me  her  three  dollar  garden-fairy  to  have 
in  our  room  this  winter.  The  Dolphin  brand  is 
guaranteed  waterproof  and  lasting,"  added  Jane 
inconsequently,  "  but  to-morrow  we'll  have  to  put 
a  temporary  coat  of  water-colors  on  the  front- 
walk  brigade,  because  oils  won't  dry  quickly 
enough." 

"  Jane,  you  make  me  dizzy,  you  go  so  fast," 
declared  Nancy. 

"  Your  own  fault,"  Jane  accused  her,  "  for  in- 
troducing me  to  this  lookout  game  and  to  star-eyed 
Hope — isn't  that  a  poetical  phrase  ? — and  the 
annoying  Cecilia.  To  continue  with  the  arrange- 
ments :  Miss  Willis's  nephew — the  same  one  who 
has  a  jig-saw  to  lend — drives  a  carriage  to  take 
people  around  from  the  trolley  terminus.  To- 
morrow he's  going  to  stick  a  sign  on  his  bus  :  '  To 

209 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Dolphin  Tea-House,  five  cents/  He  doesn't  know 
it  yet,  but  he  is.  If  he  gets  a  lot  of  extra  business, 
the  other  drivers  will  offer  to  do  likewise." 

"  It  will  all  be  splendid  if  it  works,"  sighed 
Nancy.  "And  of  course  it  means  that  Hope 
stays." 

11  Hope  stays,"  repeated  Jane,  "  until  it's  plain 
to  be  seen  whether  or  not  the  drooping  Dolphin 
can  be  propped  up  by  flower-sticks  and  reinvigor- 
ated  by  curling  his  tail." 


210 


CHAPTER  XII 

A    VISIT   TO  THE  CAPTAINS'  WATCH-TOWER 

THE  boys  were  growing  tired  of  their  detective- 
work.  You  couldn't  get  anywhere  with  a  subject 
whose  habits,  though  strange,  were  as  monoto- 
nously regular  as  the  Green  Knight's.  He  seemed 
fascinated  by  the  swamp  around  Fresh  Pond. 
The  paper  that  apparently  guided  his  operations 
there  was  tattered  on  the  edges  and  split  from 
much  folding  and  unfolding,  though  nobody  could 
have  handled  a  bit  of  rare  old  lace  any  more 
carefully  than  the  Knight  did  that  precious  docu- 
ment. Morning  after  morning  he  spread  it  out 
on  the  same  flat  stone,  and  returned  to  it  to 
stare  and  whistle  between  his  mysterious  ex- 
periments with  rope  and  yard-stick.  As  the  days 
passed  he  experimented  less  and  stared  more,  sit- 
ting for  hours  hunched  up  on  a  small  stone  beside 
the  mystic  paper,  and  always  he  whistled  and 
whistled. 

Afternoons  he  behaved  more  like  a  normal 
human  being.  Alone  on  Lady's  back,  or  with  his 
mother  in  the  cart  beside  him,  he  rode  or  drove 

211 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

along  the  winding  Point  roads,  off  toward  Halcyon 
Harbor,  a  resort  four  miles  away  up  the  coast,  and 
just  before  dinner-time  into  the  town  for  the  city 
papers.  Somebody  in  that  queer  household  could 
not  get  on  without  the  day's  news. 

The  Green  Knight  was  a  good  horseman.  Lady 
curveted  and  pranced  and  shied,  but  she  never 
got  away  from  the  boy's  control.  On  days  when 
there  was  no  wind  for  sailing,  the  three  amateur 
detectives  envied  the  Knight  his  horse,  and  wished 
he  was  more  sociable.  Then  they  could  swap  sails 
for  horseback  rides,  or  all  crowd  into  the  cart  and 
drive  to  town  in  pursuit  of  adventure,  when  time 
hung  heavy. 

What  the  Green  Knight  did  at  night — especially 
late  at  night — was,  as  the  three  detectives  well 
realized,  the  crux  of  their  puzzle.  Unfortunately 
their  families  had  views  about  boys  being  at  home 
in  bed  during  the  hours  most  favored  by  both 
ghosts  and  burglars.  The  three  could  generally 
escape  after  dinner  and  hurry  back  to  the  road 
that  skirted  Fresh  Pond,  near  which,  about  one 
evening  in  three,  the  Green  Knight  could  be  found 
digging  his  great  square  pits,  or  else  filling  in  those 
that  he  had  dug  a  few  nights  before.  Why  he 
never  dug  except  at  night,  though  he  left  the  holes 
as  clear  evidence  against  himself,  if  anybody  had 
wanted  it,  was  a  matter  that  the  detectives  dis- 

212 


THE  CAPTAINS'   WATCH-TOWER 

cussed  endlessly.  He  worked  by  the  faint  twinkle 
of  the  little  electric  "  bug-light "  that  he  had  of- 
fered to  Nancy,  so  that  from  the  road  he  was  hardly 
more  noticeable  than  a  glowworm.  But  even  with 
the  drawback  of  darkness,  the  Green  Knight  was 
an  expert  at  excavating.  He  dug,  dug,  dug,  whis- 
tled and  whistled.  The  earth  piled  up  in  great 
spadefuls  beside  the  hole  he  made,  and  he  never 
seemed  to  have  any  doubt  about  the  exact  location 
he  wanted  for  this,  nor  any  trouble  in  keeping  it 
square.  These  things  puzzled  the  detectives,  until 
Little  Peter,  walking  boldly  down  one  evening  to 
question  the  Knight,  as  Nancy  had  suggested, 
kicked  his  feet  against  a  row  of  short  stakes  that 
bounded  the  square.  That  was  all  the  information 
that  Little  Peter  got  for  his  trouble. 

"  What  am  I  digging  for  ?  "  repeated  the  Knight 
in  answer  to  Little  Peter's  query.  "  Why,  fish- 
worms.  One  name  for  'em  is  night-crawlers,  so  I 
thought  maybe  they'd  crawl  up  in  the  dark  and 
be  easier  to  get." 

"  Where's  your  can  ?  "  asked  Little  Peter  suspi- 
ciously. 

"My  what?" 

"  Your  can — don't  you  keep  them  in  a  tin  can  ?  " 
explained  Little  Peter. 

"  No,"  said  the  other.     "  I  keep  'em  in  a  paper." 

"  Where's  your  paper?  " 

213 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

11  In  my  pocket." 

"  I  call  that  messy." 

"  Oh,  no ! "  said  the  Green  Knight  blandly. 
"  Not  at  all  messy,  because  I've  got  no  worms 
yet." 

"  What  do  you  use  fish-worms  for  around  here  ?  " 
demanded  Little  Peter,  in  a  final  attempt  to  trap 
the  excavator. 

"Well,"  said  the  Knight  placidly,  "  if  I  got  any, 
I  thought  I'd  go  fishing — river-fishing,  I  mean. 
Of  course  I  know  you  can't  use  worms  for  deep-sea 
fishing.  But  as  I  haven't  got  any,  I  shan't  go." 

"  How  many  hours  have  you  put  in  trying  to  get 
one  worm  ?  "  sniffed  Peter. 

The  Green  Knight  stuck  his  face  out  into  the 
light  of  his  tiny  lantern  and  grinned  wickedly. 
"  I'm  awfully  persistent,"  he  explained.  "  Besides, 
I've  got  lots  of  hours  to  waste  this  summer."  He 
consulted  his  watch.  "  Nine  o'clock — closing 
time."  He  threw  his  spade  over  his  shoulder, 
picked  up  the  lantern,  and  dashed  up  the  bank 
through  the  bushes  at  a  pace  that  left  Peter,  who 
didn't  know  every  foot  of  the  ground  with  the  cer- 
tainty of  his  companion,  far  in  the  rear. 

After  that,  Little  Peter,  who  was  decidedly  not 
persistent,  lost  interest.  "  The  fellow's  crazy,"  was 
Peter's  opinion.  "  Anyhow,  he's  too  good  for  us. 
Old  man  Smith  had  better  put  a  big  detective  like 

214 


THE  CAPTAINS'   WATCH-TOWER 

Mr.  Burns  on  his  trail.  I'm  convinced  that  he's 
responsible  for  anything  queer  that  happens  around 
here " 

"  Don't  talk  till  you've  got  evidence,"  said 
Johnny  Andrews  severely.  Johnny  intended  to  be 
either  a  great  detective  or  a  famous  criminal  lawyer 
when  he  was  older,  and  insisted  upon  observing 
the  rules  of  the  game.  "  So  far,"  he  reminded  the 
others,  "  we  haven't  any  evidence  at  all." 

"  That's  so,"  agreed  Dick.  "  We're  wasting  our 
time.  Instead  of  being  down  watching  Fresh 
Pond  and  that  crazy-head  '  digging  for  fish- 
worms,'  we  belong  up  on  Judge  Smith's  place,  on 
the  chance  that  the  ghost-racket  happens  again." 

"  Sure,  we  belong  there,"  said  Johnny.  "  Let's 
interview  the  Judge  and  tell  him  so.  Just  be- 
cause he  thinks  that  'fraid-cat  little  girl  will 
worry  if  she  sees  us  around,  is  no  reason  for  him 
to  keep  us  out." 

"  He's  probably  forgotten  all  about  us  and  the 
ghost  too,"  scoffed  Little  Peter.  "  The  ghost  prob- 
ably wasn't  anything  but  that  'fraid-cat  kid's  bad 
dreams.  Nobody  would  have  thought  of  it  again, 
if  it  hadn't  happened  on  the  night  of  the  Parkes' 
burglary." 

"  Then  there  was  Regent's  cutting  up,"  put  in 
Dick,  "  which  showed  that  we  had  suspicious 
characters  around  our  place.  But  see  here,  this 

215 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

boy  always  stops  at  nine.  His  rushing  off  from 
you,  Peter,  wasn't  any  trick  he  put  up  on  you. 
He  always  cuts  for  home  at  exactly  nine  o'clock, 
and  before  ten  their  house  is  as  dark  as  Egypt." 

"  No  evidence,"  grumbled  businesslike  Johnny 
again.  "  We  don't  know  that  he  stays  in  the  dark 
house — only  that  he  goes  in.  But  probably  Peter's 
right.  Probably  there  won't  be  any  more  ghost. 
And  probably  this  smart  youth  named  Lawrence 
we-don't-know-what  will  fool  us  all  summer.  So 
let's  get  busy  helping  Dick  here  to  sail  his  boat  to 
the  limit  in  the  big  race.  Mother  saw  the  cups 
down  at  the  Inn  yesterday,  and  she  said  they're 
peaches.  A  motor-boat  is  nice  for  ladylike  pic- 
nics, but  I  wish  I  had  the  real  thing,  like  Dick." 

And  then,  that  very  afternoon,  there  was  a  dead 
calm  on  the  bay  and  hardly  a  puff  of  wind  on  the 
open  sea,  and,  as  there  was  nothing  to  be  done 
about  sailing  and  the  late  afternoon  was  pleasanter 
for  tennis,  the  boys  decided  to  go  down  to  the 
watch-tower  and  talk  to  the  old  captains. 

Mrs.  Miggs  had  told  Nancy  about  the  watch- 
tower.  It  was  down  at  the  Neck,  out  on  the  end 
of  the  longest  wharf:  a  squatty  little  tower,  but 
high  enough  to  command  a  long  stretch  of  sea. 

"  The  old  captains  sit  there,"  Mrs.  Miggs  ex- 
plained, "  after  they're  too  old  to  sail  any  longer. 
Cap'n  Silas  Baker,  he's  lame,  'n'  Cap'n  John  Mace, 

216 


THE  CAPTAINS'   WATCH-TOWER 

he's  lamer,  so's  he  can  jest  drag  up  the  tower  steps. 
Cap'n  Cyras  Mixter,  he's  blind,  the  dear  old  man. 
They're  the  four  regulars,  always  on  hand.  Cap- 
tain Porter's  younger,  but  he's  the  deafest  of  the 
lot.  He  fishes  a  little  in  summer,  but  most  of  the 
time  he  sets  and  smokes  with  the  rest  up  in  the 
tower.  Captain  Blades  comes  when  his  wife 
don't  need  him,  and  is  willing.  They  set  in  a 
row  with  their  chairs  teetered  back  aginst  the 
wall  and  smoke  and  talk.  They  love  to  have 
strangers  come  in  on  'em.  Maybe  you  girls  would 
find  it  a  little  smoky,  but  your  brothers  would  ad- 
mire to  hear  the  stories  they've  got  to  tell,  and 
they'd  admire  to  tell  'em." 

This  sounded  entertaining.  Johnny  wanted  to 
know  if  the  "  Banks  "  where  the  fishermen  went 
were  made  of  fog  or  something  more  solid,  and  just 
how  one  caught  lobsters.  Dick  looked  forward  to 
wild  tales  of  storm  and  shipwreck,  with  dramatic 
rescues  to  follow.  Peter  hoped  that  some  of  the 
captains  had  been  with  the  sponge  fleets,  and  could 
give  him  points  on  professional  diving.  As  they 
walked  down  to  the  Neck,  discussing  all  these  in- 
teresting possibilities,  their  pace  grew  faster  and 
faster,  until  they  almost  ran  down  the  long  wharf 
and  up  the  tower  stairs.  But  though  they  took 
no  pains  to  be  quiet  as  they  reached  the  door  of 
the  dusky  loft,  where  the  old  captains  sat,  watch- 

217 


NANCT    LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

ing  the  sea  through  the  great  doors  that  fronted 
the  water  and  were  always  open  in  fair  weather, 
not  a  captain  noticed  the  visitors.  They  were  not 
sitting  in  a  row  against  the  wall ;  only  one  was 
smoking ;  they  were  not  pining  for  listeners,  or 
for  a  chance  of  entertaining  gossip,  as  Mrs.  Miggs 
had  represented — or  rather  they  were  already  pro- 
vided with  entertainment,  apparently  of  the  most 
thrilling  nature.  In  the  corner,  on  a  pile  of  nets, 
where  its  owner  had  tossed  it,  lay  a  green  cap 
with  a  tiny  green  feather  tucked  in  its  band. 
Over  by  the  wide-flung  doors  sat  the  Green 
Knight  in  the  center  of  an  excited  circle  of  alert 
old  men.  On  the  boy's  knees  was  spread  the  tat- 
tered paper  that  the  three  intruders  had  seen  so 
many  times  laid  out  on  the  flat  rock.  The  boy 
was  reading  from  it,  while  the  eager  old  men 
stared  at  the  writing — all  but  one,  blind  old  Cap- 
tain Mixter,  who  gazed  sightlessly  in  the  direction 
of  the  boy's  voice. 

"  '  East  of  ye  bay  there  is  a  pond,'  "  read  the  boy, 
" '  and  on  ye  east  side  of  ye  pond  there  is  an  oak 
tree  ten  yards  from  ye  waterside.' '  The  boy 
paused.  "  It  would  be  dead  by  now,  of  course, 
but  seems  to  me  I've  tried  every  stump " 

The  blind  captain  lifted  his  thin  hand.  "  It's 
not  Fresh  Pond  that's  meant,  my  boy.  It's  the 
old  horse-pond  up  on  the  Miggs  farm — that's 

218 


THE  CAPTAINS'   WATCH-TOWER 

Judge  Smith's  place  now,  and  all  the  Point  land 
beyond  him  belonged  to  it." 

"  What  say  ?  Speak  up,  Cyrus,"  demanded 
"deef"  Captain  Porter. 

"  I  say  Fresh  Pond  wa'n't  there  in  the  old  days," 
repeated  Captain  Mixter  loudly.  "  You  all  know 
that.  Down  in  the  holler  behind  the  big  house, 
right  where  the  man  that  built  '  Gray  Gables,'  as 
they  call  it,  put  his  biggest  barn, — there's  the 
place  that's  meant.  There's  wood  and  rocks  there 
— 'bout  all  that  feller  that  fixed  it  up  saw  fit  to 
leave.  He  was  great  for  smoothing  off  and  cut- 
ting down.  He  dreened  his  horse-pond  down  into 
the  swamp  that's  Fresh  Pond  now.  The  others 
dreened  down  there  too — put  all  the  waste  water 
together  and  planted  lilies.  It  makes  the  Point 
more  sightly,  I  must  say,  but  it's  changed  all  the 
old  landmarks."  The  blind  man  sighed.  "  You 
look  for  your  oak  stump  and  your  rock  up  behind 
that  barn." 

"  I  see,"  said  the  boy  slowly.  "  I  thought  per- 
haps that  was  it  from  something  that's  written  in 
here  in  my  grandfather's  writing.  I  tried  up  there 
one  morning  before  breakfast,  but  I  sort  of 
hated " 

"  How  are  you,  mates?"  broke  in  "  deef"  Cap- 
tain Porter,  who,  happening  to  look  up,  had  dis- 
covered the  three  visitors  hesitating  in  the  door. 

219 


NANCT    LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  Come  and  join  us,  if  you  so  please,"  he  added 
sociably. 

The  Green  Knight  looked  up,  and  quick  as  a 
flash  but  with  deft  gentleness  he  folded  the 
precious  paper  and  tucked  it  away  in  a  big  black 
wallet. 

"  I  must  be  off,"  he  said,  rising  and  nodding  a 
friendly  nod  around  the  circle  of  captains  and  then 
at  the  boys.  "  I'll  be  in  again  soon,  and  here's 
some  of  that  stick-candy  you  fellows  said  you 
liked."  He  pulled  a  square  package  out  of  his 
pocket  and  laid  it  in  Captain  Mixter's  hand. 

The  old  captains  watched  him  go  wistfully. 

"  He's  one  of  us,"  "  deef "  Captain  Porter  told 
the  new  arrivals.  "  His  granddad  was  a  Halcyon 
man." 

"  And  what  he  don't  know  about  the  old  days!" 
testified  Captain  Baker  admiringly.  "  He  knows 
who  owned  every  foot  of  land  round  here,  from 
the  Revolutionary  days  down.  He  knows  the 
names  and  stories  of  all  our  old  sailing-vessels. 
He's  up  on  town  history.  He  could  draw  a  map 
of  the  Miggs  farm  and  the  Baker  farm  and  half  a 
dozen  next  beyond  'em.  He's  a  great  boy." 

"  What's  he  looking  for  down  by  Fresh  Pond  ?  " 
demanded  Johnny  daringly. 

"  That's  his  affair,"  snapped  Captain  Mixter. 

"  He's  a  great  chum  of  ourn,"  Captain  Baker 

220 


THE  CAPTAINS'  WATCH-TOWER 

apologized  for  the  other's  curtness.  "  Drops  in 
'most  every  day.  Tells  us  his  private  business, 
knowing  it's  safe  with  us." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  said  Johnny.  "  What's 
his  name  ?  " 

Captain  Baker  considered.  "  Dunno's  I  ever 
heard  him  say."  He  raised  his  voice  for  Captain 
Porter's  benefit.  "  Any  of  you  recollect  hearing 
his  name?  " 

Nobody  did. 

Captain  Mixter  began  to  reminisce.  "  I  recol- 
lect that  old  horse-pond  jest  as  well.  Swam  across 
it  first  year  I  learned.  There  was  one  deep  place, 
over  my  head,  and  the  fresh  water  didn't  hold  you 
up  like  the  bay.  Sam  Miggs — he  was  jest  my  size 
— he  stood  on  the  bank  and  watched  me  come.  I 
remember  how  scared  he  looked.  It  wa'n't  over 
my  head  for  mor'n  two  yards,  I  s'pose.  The  big 
barn's  right  over  that  hole." 

Silent  little  Captain  Blades  turned  solemnly  to 
the  newcomers.  "  Any  of  you  belong  in  Halcyon  ?  " 

"  We've  been  coming  here  three  summers,"  vol- 
unteered Dick. 

"  Umph,  summer  folks!"  commented  Captain 
Blades.  "  Any  of  you  sailed  the  seas  to  furrin 
parts?" 

"  I'm  going  to  Japan  the  first  chance  I  get," 
volunteered  Little  Peter. 

221 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  That  boy's  been  round  the  world  more  than 
once,"  asserted  Captain  Mixter  proudly.  "  He's 
touched  at  more  furrin  ports  than  any  of  us. 
He's  lived  in  furrin  ports." 

"  We  thought  perhaps  you'd  spin  us  some  yarns," 
suggested  Dick,  half-heartedly,  because  he  was  more 
interested  now  in  comparing  views  on  the  Green 
Knight's  behavior  with  Peter  and  Johnny  than  in 
the  most  thrilling  sea-tales. 

But  Captain  Mixter  settled  the  matter.  "  Not 
to-day,  mates,"  he  objected,  "  not  to-day.  We've 
got  business  to  tend  to — 'bout  some  old  landmarks. 
You  wouldn't  be  interested.  Any  other  day,  when 
we're  not  so  busy,  we'd  admire  to  talk  to  you." 

Down  on  the  sunny  road  the  three  friends 
stopped  to  size  up  the  situation. 

"  Well,  he's  done  us  again,"  said  Peter.  "  Seems 
he  can  be  chummy  enough  when  he  wants  to,  but 
he  picks  his  company." 

"  What  do  you  gather  he's  after  ? "  queried 
Dick. 

"  I've  got  it !  "  cried  Peter  triumphantly,  after  a 
pause.  "  The  writing-machine  lady  with  the 
green  veil  is  getting  up  a  history  of  Halcyon, — 
tidy  little  souvenirs  to  sell  to  the  summer  colony. 
Green  Cap  is  hunting  material  for  it — old  maps 
and  things." 

"  You  don't  make  maps  with  a  spade,"  objected 

222 


THE  CAPTAINS'  WATCH-TOWER 

Johnny.  "  You  don't  dig  up  materials  for  a  his- 
tory book  out  of  the  ground." 

"  Oh,  well,"  conceded  Peter  irritably,  "  of  course 
that's  something  else  he's  at.  Can't  a  fellow 
be  at  two  things  at  once  ?  Maybe  it's  fish-worms, 

as  he  said,  and  maybe  it's Well,  I'm  going  to 

the  library  to  read  up  on  the  history  of  that  Miggs 
farm,"  announced  Peter  suddenly.  "  You  two  can 
go  and  beat  the  girls  at  tennis,  if  you  feel  like  it. 
I'm  going  to  run  this  mystery  down." 

But  Peter,  delving  till  dinner-time  in  the  stuffy 
little  reading-room  on  the  Neck,  unearthed  noth- 
ing at  all  notable  about  an  oak,  a  rock,  or  a  horse- 
pond  on  the  Miggs  farm,  now  portioned  off  be- 
tween "  Gray  Gables  "  and  a  dozen  other  summer 
residences.  And  Peter  might  have  saved  himself 
the  hot  and  dusty  search  through  village  archives. 
For  next  morning  as  the  three  boys,  accom- 
panied by  Alexandra,  Cecilia  and  the  Learned 
twins,  were  hurrying  down  to  the  bathing-beach, 
Judge  Smith  hailed  them  from  his  big  limousine. 

"  Haven't  you  detectives  any  report  to  make  ?  " 
he  demanded,  twinkling  at  the  boys  genially,  as 
they  stood  in  an  embarrassed  row  in  front  of  him. 
"  I  thought  you  couldn't  have  run  the  creature 
down,  because  we  had  another  visitation  last  night. 
I  got  back  from  the  West  at  midnight,  and  before 
four  I  was  waked  by  the  most  unearthly  yelling  I 

223 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

ever  want  to  hear.  I'm  using  Clare's  rooms  now. 
They're  the  only  ones  the  haunt  cares  for,  it  seems, 
so  there  may  have  been  plenty  of  other  visitations 
while  I  was  away.  You  fellows  couldn't  arrange 
with  your  families  to  come  up  and  sleep  for  a  while  ? 
Not  that  I  am  much  bothered  by  having  a  haunted 
house  on  my  hands,"  chuckled  Judge  Smith,  "  but 
I  sort  of  like  the  idea  of  a  ghost  hunt  and  so  does 
Clare,  now  that  she's  got  over  her  scare  a  little. 
Besides," — he  laughed  again, — "  I've  got  a  hunt 
for  buried  treasure  going  on  back  of  my  barn,  and 
a  Sedan  chair  stored  in  my  garage,  so  three  young 
detectives  in  charge  of  a  ghost-hunt  on  the  third 
story  seems  to  complete  the  picture." 

"  I  say,"  demanded  Johnny  Andrews,  after  the 
three  had  exchanged  doubtful  glances,  "  are  you 
guying  us,  Judge  Smith  ?  " 

"  Guying  you  ?  "  repeated  Judge  Smith  irascibly. 
"  Certainly  not,  young  man.  What  gives  you  that 
impression  ?  " 

"  Well,"  began  Johnny,  "  we're  in  earnest,  you 
see,  Judge.  We're  trying  to  find  the  real  person 
who's  annoying  you,  and  who  maybe  robbed  Mr. 
Parke  also.  We  don't  believe  in  ghosts,  and  of 
course  we  know  you  don't.  And  a  hunt  for  buried 
treasure  sounds  like  some  other  kind  of  a 
fake " 

"  Fake  !  "  broke  in  Judge  Smith,  "  fake  I  Well, 

224 


THE  CAPTAINS'  WATCH-TOWER 

I  guess  not.  The  young  man  who's  doing  the 
hunting  has  a  permit  that  descended  to  him  from 
his  grandfather  to  search  my  premises.  The  grand- 
father got  it  from  the  son  of  the  ancient  owner  of 
my  place,  and  it's  dated  1831.  I  haven't  a  word 
to  say  in  the  matter.  Besides,  I  like  it.  Do  you 
mean  to  say  " — he  frowned  at  the  three  boys — 
"  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you're  not  interested  in 
a  genuine  hunt  for  buried  treasure  ?  Why,  when 
I  was  the  age  of  you  fellows  I'd  have  been  sprint- 
ing down  the  road  half-way  back  to  my  place  by 
now,  to  watch  it." 

"  It's  that  boy  with  the  green  cap,  of  course," 
said  Peter. 

"  Um — you  know  him,  do  you  ?  "  asked  Judge 
Smith. 

"  By  sight,"  explained  Peter.  "  He's  been 
measuring  and  digging  down  by  Fresh  Pond — we 
didn't  know  why.  Evidently  he  didn't  find  any- 
thing there,  but  he  wouldn't  tell  us  what  he  was 
doing." 

"Is  that  so?"  said  Judge  Smith.  "That's 
funny.  But  then  he  had  to  tell  me,  naturally.  I 
noticed  he  didn't  seem  very  sociable — shy,  maybe. 
Well  now,  the  point  is  this  :  can  you  boys  be  on 
hand,  two  at  a  time,  say,  to  try  to  get  a  line  on 
this — night-prowler,  or,  to  be  quite  accurate,  night- 
howler.  We'll  discontinue  using  the  misleading 

225 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

term  that  I  applied  before,  though  I  must  say  the 
noise  I  heard  was  the  most  unearthly,  inhuman 
shrieking  I  can  imagine.  I  don't  blame  Clare  at 
all  for  getting  hysterical  over  it.  Can  you  begin 
to-night?" 

The  detectives  solemnly  agreed  to  have  two  of 
the  firm  on  hand  that  very  evening,  prepared  to 
sleep  in  the  noise-haunted  chamber,  and  then 
started  off  after  the  girls. 

"  Hi !  hi !  "  called  Judge  Smith  before  they  had 
gone  far.  "  There's  another  thing  I  want  to  consult 
you  boys  about,  though  I  will  admit " — he  turned 
to  the  sceptical  Johnny — "  this  thing  does  sound  a 
good  deal  like  a  joke.  I'm  out  looking  for  a  girl 
with  big  brown  eyes — a  little  girl,  who  does  errands 
for  somebody  or  other  around  here.  Nobody 
knows  what  errand  brought  her  to  my  house,  but 
my  spoilt  grandchild  Clare  wants  her  back.  So 
I'm  out  with  a  list  of  all  the  possible  places  that 
might  have  sent  her " 

"  Has  she  big  bright  brown  eyes  ?  "  demanded 
Peter.  "  Quite  remarkable  eyes,  and  lots  of  en- 
thusiasm and  go  in  her  manner  ?  " 

"  Sounds  like  it,"  snapped  Judge  Smith.  "  Who 
is  your  girl  ?  " 

"That's  Hope  Haskins.  She  works  at  the  Inn, 
and  she's  a  friend  of  his  sister's  " — Peter  indicated 
Dick  with  a  gesture. 

226 


THE  CAPTAINS'   WATCH-TOWER 

"  Well !  "  The  old  man  was  running  down  the 
long  list  of  establishments  that  might  have  sent  a 
girl  oat  on  an  errand  to  "  Gray  Gables."  "  The 
Inn's  not  here.  I'll  try  it  first,  though — just  like 
a  pack  of  servants  to  remember  all  but  the  right 
place.  Good-bye,  boys.  To  the  Inn,  Thomas." 

11  Well,  of  all  queer  old  parties  !  "  said  Dick, 
watching  the  big  car  out  of  sight.  "The  Green 
Knight  hasn't  much  on  him  for  queerness !  Start- 
ing out  to  find  a  girl  with  nice  brown  eyes " 

"  And  finding  her  first  clip,"  put  in  Peter. 
"  That's  his  style.  Crazy  over  this  Green  Knight's 
hunt  for  buried  treasure " 

"  Say,  that's  what  I  thought  of  yesterday," 
broke  in  Peter  again,  "  after  we'd  been  to  see  the 
captains.  I  thought  buried  treasure  would  about 
fit  the  case.  Only  it  sounded  too  wild,  so  I  kept 
still." 

"  Nothing's  too  wild  to  be  true  nowadays,"  said 
Johnny.  "  Truth  is  stranger  than  fiction.  Has 
anybody  any  new  theories  about  this  night-howler  ? 
And  who's  going  to  sleep  up  there  on  the  first 
shift?" 


227 


CHAPTER  XIII 

A   COSTLY    VICTORY 

"ISN'T  it  hot?" 

"  The  hotter  the  better  for  tennis." 

"  If  you  could  see  yourself,  Alice  Knapp,  you'd 
realize  the  disadvantages  of  heat." 

"  Well,  I'd  rather  have  a  good  time  and  look 
like  a  lobster  than  sit  around  in  a  fluffy  white 
dress  and  groan  about  how  hot  I  am,"  said  Jane 
Learned,  dropping  down  on  the  grass  beside  the 
Lees'  tennis-court. 

It  was  the  day  of  the  much-heralded  tennis 
tournament.  Jane  had  just  been  badly  beaten  by 
Alice  Knapp,  a  tow-headed  girl  from  the  Inn. 
Louise  Minot,  the  other  two  Inn  girls,  and  Alexan- 
dra had  been  eliminated  in  the  first  round.  The 
next  match  was  between  Cecilia  Green,  and  Chris- 
tina Learned,  and  the  winner  would  play  Alice 
Knapp  in  the  finals.  To  be  sure,  there  was  also 
Nancy  Lee,  who  had  let  her  name  go  into  the 
drawing  as  a  mere  formality.  There  were  eight 
players  without  Nancy,  and,  as  her  name  came 
out  of  Peter  Little's  hat  last,  she  would  not  have 

228 


A    COSTLT    VICTORY 

to  play,  or  default,  until  the  very  last  round,  when 
she  would  meet  the  winner  of  all  the  other 
matches.  This  Dick  and  Peter,  who  had  both 
managed  tournaments  at  school,  declared  to  be 
the  professional  method  of  handling  the  situation. 

Dick,  Peter,  and  Johnny  Andrews  were  general 
managers  of  the  tournament.  All  the  young 
people  on  the  Point  and  at  the  Inn  had  been  in- 
vited to  look  on,  so  there  was  a  noisy  and  enthusi- 
astic "  gallery,"  which  clapped  all  the  good  shots 
impartially  and  inspired  the  players  to  do  their 
best. 

"  I  don't  mean  to  fuss  about  the  heat,"  said  the 
girl  who  had  commented  on  Alice  Knapp's  wilted 
appearance,  "  but  I  do  hate  the  sun  in  my  face. 
I'm  going  to  move." 

"  You'll  certainly  melt  if  you  sit  on  the  other 
side  of  the  court,"  advised  somebody,  "  with  the 
sun  on  your  back." 

"  Well,  I'll  try  melting  then,  if  necessary,"  said 
the  girl,  "  for  I'm  certainly  tired  of  squinting. 
But  how  about  the  end  of  the  court?  It  seems 
quite  shady  there." 

"  Oh,  lemonade  I  "  cried  Alexandra  Little,  spy- 
ing Rosa  coming  down  the  path  with  a  great  bowl, 
followed  by  Josephine,  strutting  importantly  along 
with  a  tray  of  glasses. 

So  it  happened  that  when  Cecilia  and  Christina 

229 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

began  to  play,  a  few  of  the  spectators  still  sat  fac- 
ing the  sun  on  the  side-line,  and  all  the  others 
who  were  not  off  under  a  big  tree  drinking  lemon- 
ade were  gathered  in  a  spot  of  shade  at  Christina's 
end  of  the  court. 

"  Love-fifteen  I  " 

"  Love-thirty  ! " 

"  Fifteen-thirty  I " 

"  Fifteen-forty  !  " 

11  Game ! " 

Cecilia's  game.  Cecilia  was  serving  splendidly  ; 
Christina  could  not  get  one  of  her  swift,  low  balls. 
But  Christina  won  on  her  serve.  Games  were 
then  one-all.  After  that  Christina  lost  steadily. 
Games  were  one-two,  one-three,  one-four,  two-four, 
the  score  always  in  Cecilia's  favor. 

"  I  say,  Nancy,  you'll  have  to  go  into  the  finals 
and  do  up  C.  Green."  Little  Peter,  who  had  been 
"  hustling "  lemonade  for  those  who  still  kept 
their  places  by  the  tennis-court,  strolled  up  to 
Nancy's  chair. 

"  Oh,  I  can't  play,"  Nancy  assured  him.  "  I 
might  just  as  well  have  defaulted  in  the  first 
place.  It  would  be  awfully  careless  for  me  to  race 
around  on  a  weak  ankle." 

"  I  thought  you  said  it  wasn't  weak  any  more." 

"  Well,  it  isn't,  really,"  laughed  Nancy,  "  but  I 
don't  suppose  it  can  be  perfectly  strong  yet.  Be- 

230 


A    COSTLT    VICTORY 

sides,  Peter,  I  can't  believe  it  would  be  fair  for  me 
to  step  in  at  the  end,  after  the  winner  of  all  the 
other  matches  is  tired,  and  try  to  beat  her." 

"  It's  perfectly  fair,"  insisted  Peter.  "  Luck  was 
with  you,  that's  all,  in  the  drawing.  There  were 
nine  entries,  including  you.  You  were  drawn  out 
last — number  nine.  The  first  eight  pair,  then  the 
four  winners  pair,  and  so  on,  and  you  draw  a  blank 
each  time.  *  Drawing  a  bye  '  is  the  technical  ex- 
pression for  it.  You  have  a  perfect  right  to  play." 

"  Thirty-all  I  "  called  Cecilia,  who  was  serving. 
"  Play ! " 

"  Oh,  isn't  it "  began  Christina,  and  dived 

after  the  flying  ball.  It  was  her  point. 

"  And  my  game  too,  I  think,  Cecilia,"  she  ex- 
plained, coming  up  to  the  net.  "  The  score  before 
that  was  forty-fifteen  in  my  favor.  That  makes 
the  games  three  to  four." 

"  Oh,  no  !  "  objected  Cecilia  eagerly.  "  It  was 
thirty-all  before,  just  as  I  said.  I  made  doubles 
once,  and  you  got  one  little  low  ball  just  over  the 
net." 

"  And  one  in  the  back  of  the  court." 

"  Oh,  that  one  was  out,"  said  Cecilia  decisively. 
"  I  may  not  have  called  it  so  you  heard,  but  it  was 
at  least  a  foot  out." 

"  It  was ! "  Christina  stepped  back  into  her 
place,  a  worried  look  on  her  small  face.  The 

231 


NANCT    LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

game  that  she  had  thought  safely  hers  must  be 
won  all  over  again. 

"  Thirty-forty  !     Play  !  " 

Christina  ran  too  far  forward,  and  the  ball 
dropped  into  the  net  on  her  side. 

"  Deuce.     Play  !  " 

Christina  "  lobbed  "  her  return  high  in  the  air, 
and  everybody  waited  breathlessly  for  it  to  come 
down. 

"  Out  I  "  called  Cecilia,  promptly,  as  it  struck. 

"  The  dust  flew,  C. !  It  must  have  been  on  the 
line,"  called  Peter. 

"  There's  a  smutch  of  white  outside  the  line  just 
here,"  retorted  Cecilia  easily.  "  That  ball  was 
out :  I  was  right  beside  it,  and  I  saw  it  distinctly. 
You  can't  possibly  see  my  lines  from  that  end  of 
the  court." 

"  I  say,  Nancy," — Peter  came  back  to  Nancy's 
side, — "  you  ought  to  have  an  umpire  for  this 
match.  That  ball  was  in.  C.  juggles  scores  when 
it  suits  her.  That's  why  I  don't  want  her  to  win 
out." 

Nancy  blushed  and  looked  anxiously  to  see  if 
any  one  had  overheard  Peter's  confidence.  "  Oh, 
Peter,  I  can't  believe  that  she  meant  to  be  unfair. 
And  how  can  I  suggest  having  an  umpire  now, 
when  we  haven't  had  one  all  the  time  before?  It 
would  be  insulting  to  Cecilia." 

232 


A    COSTLT    VICTORY 

"  No  more  than  to  Miss  Learned." 

"She's,  losing." 

11  Yes,  and  that's  the  whole  trouble.  We  boys 
are  managing  this  match.  I'm  going  to  have  one 
of  the  Shaws  umpire  the  next  set.  We  ought  to 
have  had  an  umpire  and  a  score-keeper  all  the 
time." 

Nancy's  troubled  face  cleared.  "  Cecilia  won't 
mind  having  an  umpire  if  it's  one  of  the  Shaws. 
You're  a  very  tactful  person,  Peter." 

"  Sure,  I  am."  Peter  ran  off  gaily  to  make  his 
arrangements.  Unfortunately,  not  knowing  the 
Shaw  brothers  intimately,  Peter  chose  the  wrong 
one — the  slow  one.  Cecilia's  decisive  "  Out "  or 
"  In  "  was  merely  echoed  by  the  umpire,  and  as 
Christina  offered  no  objections,  things  went  on 
much  as  before,  all  doubtful  points  being  scored  in 
Cecilia's  favor. 

"  Managers  will  umpire  and  keep  score  for 
finals,"  announced  Peter  briskly,  when,  after  a 
short  rest,  Cecilia  announced  that  she  was  ready 
to  play  again. 

"  And  you'll  chase  our  balls  too,"  added  Cecilia, 
with  a  scathing  glance  at  Peter. 

"  All  right,"  agreed  Peter  serenely,  taking  his 
place  on  Alice  Knapp's  side  of  the  court. 

But  it  was  no  use.  Cecilia  had  seen  the  flash 
of  determination  in  her  cousin  Peter's  eyes,  and 

233 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

she  yielded  perforce,  and  then  proceeded  to  get  her 
way  in  spite  of  him. 

"Cecilia  will  win,"  Alexandra  told  Nancy  early 
in  the  match.  "  When  she  looks  like  that,  she's 
mad  about  something,  and  when  she's  mad  she 
plays  like  a  streak." 

And  indeed  it  was  by  sheer  good  playing  that 
Cecilia  won  this  time. 

Christina  Learned,  who  sat  down  on  the  ground 
at  Nancy's  feet  to  rest  from  her  vigorous  exer- 
tions, looked  up  at  Nancy  earnestly.  "  She's 
really  a  fine  player,  Nancy.  I  wish  we'd  had — 
people  to  chase  our  balls,  you  know.  But  per- 
haps I  couldn't  have  beaten  her  even  then.  I'm 
sorry.  I  ought  to  learn  to  stick  up  for  myself 
better." 

Christina  looked  very  small  and  tired  and  pa- 
thetic as  she  spoke.  Nancy  felt  ashamed  of  having 
invited  her  to  Halcyon,  and  then  let  Cecilia  treat 
her  so  unfairly.  Cecilia,  over  on  the  tennis-court, 
was  shaking  hands  with  Alice  and  boasting  gaily 
that  she  never  played  her  best  unless  people  were 
watching. 

"  And  then  I  did  want  the  first  prize,"  added 
Cecilia.  "  I've  seen  it,  you  know,  and " 

"  Cecilia,  I'll  play  you  whenever  you're  rested." 
Nancy  Lee  tried  hard  to  make  her  announcement 
sound  perfectly  casual  and  good-natured.  If  she 

234 


A    COSTLY    VICTORY 

owed  something  to  Christina,  Cecilia,  too,  was  her 
guest  in  another  way. 

"Oh,  I  thought  you'd  defaulted.  I'm  ready  any 
time,"  returned  Cecilia,  the  hard  little  smile  that 
Alexandra  had  spoken  of  settling  again  tight 
around  her  mouth. 

"  Nancy,  do  you  think  you  ought  to  play  ?"  de- 
manded Christina  in  a  frightened  voice. 

"  I  only  know  that  I  can't  resist,"  laughed  Nancy. 
"  Where's  Jane?  I  let  her  use  my  racquet." 

Jane  was  down  on  the  wharf.  "  I  thought  I 
should  explode  and  disgrace  you,  Nancy,  if  I 
watched  any  more  of  Cecilia's  tennis,"  she  ex- 
plained, "  but  I'll  come  back  now  and  root  wildly 
for  Fair  Oaks.  Good  for  you,  Nancy  I  " 

"  I  think  you  ought  to  ask  your  mother  about 
playing,  Nancy,"  cautioned  Christina. 

"  I  can't.  She  and  Mrs.  Little  got  tired  of  watch- 
ing us  and  went  off  for  a  walk.  Besides,  it's  all 
right.  I  can't  sit  around  forever  ! " 

By  this  time  Nancy  was  in  her  most  careless, 
irresponsible  mood.  She  had  almost  forgotten  the 
avenging  of  Christina ;  she  was  going  into  the 
match  because  she  wanted  a  good,  hard  game  of 
tennis  on  her  own  court,  which  she  had  never  yet 
played  on.  She  wanted  the  fun  and  excitement 
of  playing  Cecilia,  and  perhaps  of  beating  her. 
She  was  tired  of  being  cautious  and  sensible, — but 

235 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

she  would  be  very  careful  of  her  ankle.  She  would 
keep  thinking  every  minute  that  she  mustn't  turn 
it  or  twist  it  or  jump  high  and  come  down  hard  on 
that  ankle. 

It  was  a  bad  handicap,  being  so  fearfully  out  of 
practice.  Nancy  lost  three  straight  games  to 
Cecilia,  and  after  each  one  the  hard  little  smile 
deepened  around  Cecilia's  mouth. 

"  Any  time  you  like  we  can  rest  a  little,"  sug- 
gested Cecilia,  cool  and  unruffled,  while  Nancy 
puffed  and  panted  from  the  unaccustomed  exercise. 

"  Thanks,"  said  Nancy,  "  but  this  is  a  regular 
match.  We  can  rest  when  it's  over.  Play  your 
best !  I  shall." 

Nancy's  racquet  caught  one  of  Cecilia's  swiftj 
low  balls  and  dropped  it  over  the  net  into  an  un- 
protected corner  of  the  court  with  the  beautiful 
easy  swing  that  is  real  tennis.  After  that  stroke 
all  Nancy's  skill  seemed  to  come  back.  She 
played  like  a  whirlwind,  all  over  her  court.  Swift 
and  sure,  she  slammed  her  balls  on  the  back  line, 
the  side  lines,  wherever  they  were  most  surely  out 
of  Cecilia's  reach. 

The  spectators  applauded  excitedly.  The  games 
piled  up  and  up  for  Nancy.  And  the  ankle  never 
gave  a  twinge.  It  would  have  been  nonsense  to 
miss  this  splendid,  splendid  game  I 

The  first  set  was  Nancy's.  In  the  second, 

236 


A    COSTLY    VICTORY 

Cecilia,  who  had  been  taken  unawares  by  Nancy's 
sudden  spurt,  fought  gallantly  for  every  point. 
There  were  long,  exciting  rallies  ;  swift  "  smashes  " 
close  to  the  net ;  maddening  "  lobs "  that  made 
Cecilia  so  nervous  with  their  slow,  wavering  de- 
scent that  she  invariably  missed  them ;  low,  back- 
court  balls  that  always  proved  too  much  for  Nancy, 
who  whacked  at  them,  but  only  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing extra  work  for  the  ball-chasing  umpires. 

The  score  tied  at  four  games  all.  The  fifth  game 
went  to  Nancy.  The  sixth  must  be  hers  too, 
Nancy  decided  swiftly.  If  she  lost  and  the  games 
stood  at  five-all,  that  meant  a  long  deuce  set  that 
would  weary  players  and  spectators  alike.  To  cap 
the  climax,  the  sixth  game  was  a  deuce  game. 
Back  and  forth  went  the  score  :  deuce,  vantage  in, 
deuce,  vantage  out,  deuce.  Neither  player  seemed 
able  to  win  three  points  in  succession. 

Vantage  out  I  That  meant  that  Nancy  was 
ahead.  One  point  more  and  the  set  and  match 
would  be  hers. 

"  I  will  get  it.  I  will !  I  must !  "  Nancy  whis- 
pered to  herself,  as  Cecilia  made  ready  to  serve. 

"  Give  her  a  smasher,  Cecilia  !  " 

"  Win  the  point,  Nancy  I  " 

"  Go  for  it,  Cecilia !  " 

The  gallery  comment  disturbed  Cecilia,  who 
served  the  first  ball  out  of  bounds. 

237 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

11  Careful !  "  called  Cecilia's  partisans. 

"  Make  it  doubles  !  "  advised  Nancy's. 

Recklessly  Cecilia  served  another  swift  ball.  It 
was  in,  and  Nancy  returned  it.  Cecilia  sent  it 
back.  By  a  phenomenal  rush  Nancy  was  on  hand 
in  time  to  "  lob  "  it  to  her  opponent.  Steadily 
Cecilia  bided  her  time  and  sent  back  a  splendid 
ball  close  to  the  back  line  of  Nancy's  court. 
Coolly  Nancy  swung  the  ball  back  to  her  oppo- 
nent. This  time  Cecilia  dropped  it  just  over  the 
net. 

"  Oh  I  "  breathed  Nancy,  and  ran  forward.  She 
couldn't  get  there  in  time  !  She  must !  Desper- 
ately she  reached  for  the  ball,  hit  it  with  the  rim 
of  her  racquet,  lost  her  balance,  and  slid  to  her 
knees  on  the  court,  just  as  the  ball,  hanging  pre- 
cariously on  the  top  edge  of  the  net  for  an  instant, 
dropped  lifelessly  to  the  ground  in  Cecilia's  court 
and  rolled  maddeningly  toward  her. 

"  Game,  set,  series.  Nancy  Lee  wins,"  called 
Johnny,  who  was  umpire-in-chief. 

"  That  was  a  lucky  stroke,  Nancy.  I  congratu- 
late you." 

Cecilia  stood  by  the  net,  holding  out  the  con- 
ventional hand  to  the  victor.  But  Nancy,  very 
white  and  solemn,  sat  huddled  on  the  ground,  one 
foot — the  one  that  belonged  to  the  bad  ankle — 
twisted  under  her. 

238 


SHE   REACHED    FOR    THE    BALL 


A    COSTLY    VICTORY 

"  Now  I've — done — it — again  !  "  gasped  Nancy 
Lee. 

In  a  minute  everybody  understood  what  had 
happened  and  rushed  forward  to  help  Nancy  up, 
to  scold,  to  sympathize,  to  run  for  Rosa  and  Mrs. 
Lee,  to  telephone  the  doctor,  to  decide  between 
bringing  Nancy  to  the  green  bench  or  the  green 
bench  to  Nancy. 

"  Goodness  ! "  sighed  Nancy,  as  she  and  the 
bench,  having  been  somehow  united,  were  being 
carried  up  to  the  house.  "  What  a  mess  you  can 
make  of  things  in  just  a  minute  !  " 

"  Doctor  Jennings  isn't  in — won't  be  till  late  this 
evening." 

"  We  can't  find  your  mother  anywhere." 

"  Dick  and  Johnny  can  carry  you  right  up- 
stairs." 

"  Alexandra's  bringing  the  prize,  and  your 
racquet." 

Nancy,  sick  and  dull  with  the  throbbing  pain, 
stared  whitely  at  the  sea  of  faces,  listened,  only 
half  comprehending,  to  the  torrent  of  comment 
and  question,  then  shut  her  eyes  to  keep  out  the 
rushing,  dizzying  procession  of  people  and  things 
that  seemed  to  swirl  and  eddy  around  her  swaying 
couch. 

"  Do  anything  you  want  to,"  she  murmured. 
"  It  hurts  too  much — I  can't  think." 

239 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  Oh,  has  anything  happened  ?     Can  I  help  ?  " 

It  was  a  new  voice,  with  a  little  thrill  in  it  that 
made  Nancy  open  her  eyes.  There  standing  close 
beside  her  was  Mrs.  Roger  Dale,  the  pretty  bride 
who  did  not  know  about  stove-dampers. 

"  Oh,  how  do  you  do  ?  "  Nancy  tried  hard  to 
be  cordial  to  the  new  guest,  but  Mrs.  Dale  cut  her 
short. 

"  You're  hurt,  poor  child.  Is  it  the  ankle 
again  ?  What  a  shame  !  Oh,  I  can  see  that  it's 
paining  you  cruelly.  Shall  I  call  my  husband — 
he's  waiting  for  me  out  in  the  road.  Unless  your 
own  doctor Oh,  I  ought  to  say  that  my  hus- 
band is  a  doctor  too.  He'll  be  only  too  glad  to 
help.  Of  course  I  think  he's  quite  wonderful  in 
his  line,  and  sprains  happen  to  be  in  his  line." 

Mrs.  Roger  Dale  did  not  know  anything  about 
dampers  ;  with  the  aid  of  ten  cook-books  she  could 
not  achieve  a  respectable  breakfast.  But  she 
knew  how  to  send  home  a  crowd  of  panicky  young 
people  in  record  time,  without  hurting  any  one's 
feelings.  She  was  an  adept  at  hurrying  Rosa  with 
hot  water,  at  consoling  frightened  little  Josephine, 
and  making  Dick  and  the  Learned  twins  feel  that 
they  were  managing  everything  splendidly,  with 
just  a  little  of  her  help.  As  for  Doctor  Roger  Dale, 
he  was  handsome  enough,  Nancy  decided,  to  be 
the  husband  of  Mrs.  Roger ;  and  he  had  a  smile 

240 


A    COSTLT    VICTORY 

that  made  you  like  him  and  eyes  that  assured  you 
he  could  be  trusted.  He  did  strange  things  to 
Nancy's  ankle,  rubbing  and  kneading  it  until  he 
brought  the  tears  to  his  patient's  eyes.  But  he 
promised  wonderful  results,  if  Nancy  would  let 
him  work  over  the  sprain  once  or  twice  more. 

"  A  new  method,"  he  explained.  "  I'm  just 
back  from  a  year  in  the  European  hospitals.  No 
need  of  being  laid  up  long  with  a  sprain  nowa- 
days, if  you're  willing  to  be  hurt  a  good  bit  at 
first." 

"  I  mustn't  forget  to  tell  you  why  I  stopped 
here  to-day,"  Mrs.  Dale  explained  to  Nancy  just  be- 
fore she  left.  "  It's  to  ask  about  that  dear  little  girl 
you  sent  out  to  me  the  other  day.  Oh,  the  little 
cakes  were  delicious,  but  the  girl  who  brought 
them  was  even  more  of  a  gift.  She  showed  me  all 
about  my  stove,  and  it's  cooked  splendidly  ever 
since.  But  she  flew  away  before  I'd  even  thanked 
her.  Could  I — would  she  be  offended  if  I  made 
her  a  little  present — of  money  ?  She  told  me  how 
she  was  trying  to  pay  her  way  through  college." 

Nancy  considered.  "  I  don't  know  whether 
she'd  take  it,  Mrs.  Dale,  but  you  needn't  be  afraid 
to  ask  her.  Hope  Haskins  is  the  kind  you  can 
talk  things  right  out  with." 

"  That's  the  proper  spirit,"  exulted  Jane,  when 
the  Dales  had  gone.  "  We're  playing  'em  off 

241 


NANCT    LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

against  each  other,  Nancy,  in  grand  style.  Hope 
needs  money.  Mrs.  Dale  needs  wisdom  about 
dampers.  I  believe  almost  everybody  in  this 
world  has  something  extra  that  he  would  be  glad 
to  swap  for  something  he  wants.  The  only 
trouble  is  to  start  the  right  criss-crosses." 

"  And  another  trouble,"  said  Nancy  soberly,  "  is 
to  remember  your  own  special  job,  that  nobody 
else  can  possibly  do  for  you.  Mine  was  to  get 
ready  to  help  mother  as  soon  as  I  could,  and  get- 
ting mad  at  Cecilia  and  sorry  for  Christina  made 
me  forget  it." 

"  Oh,  dear  I  "  sighed  poor  Christina  sadly. 

"  Well,  it  won't  be  but  a  few  extra  days,"  Nancy 
consoled  her,  "  if  Doctor  Dale  is  right.  And  any- 
way I'm  the  only  one  to  blame,  and  it  isn't  any 
use  to  worry  now." 

"  Life  is  awfully  complicated,  when  you're  try- 
ing to  do  things,"  sighed  Jane.  "  Let's  go  up  to 
the  Dolphin,  Christina,  and  see  how  the  curl  in 
its  tail  is  working  so  far.  Nancy  will  want  to 
know,  and  besides,  Mrs.  Lee  will  be  back  soon, 
and  mistakes  are  a  lot  easier  to  explain  to  a 
mother  when  you  have  her  all  by  yourself." 


242 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  LOOKOUT  GAME 

THE  curl  in  the  Dolphin's  tail  worked.  Busi- 
ness looked  up  the  first  day ;  on  the  second,  it 
was  still  brisker.  On  the  third  three  carriages 
appeared  on  the  Point  roads  marked  with  the  tea- 
shop  sign.  Miss  Willis's  nephew,  with  his  five- 
cent  fare  to  the  Dolphin,  was  getting  altogether 
more  than  his  share  of  trade.  People  laughingly 
called  him  the  jitney  'bus-man  and  went  to  the 
Dolphin  first,  whatever  their  ultimate  destination. 
The  other  carriage-drivers  eagerly  adopted  the 
popular  sign. 

Nancy  had  to  hear  all  this  exciting  news  from 
the  twins,  who  diversified  quiet  afternoons  in  the 
Birdcage  with  her  by  rushing  off  up  the  road  to  a 
spot  whence  the  Dolphin  piazza  was  visible. 

"  Crowded  I  "  they  reported  eagerly,  after  nearly 
every  trip. 

"  We  saw  some  people  going  off  in  a  carriage 
with  a  regular  load  of  garden  sticks,"  little  Chris- 
tina added  more  than  once. 

"  They  must  have  bought  at  least  a  dozen," 
elaborated  Jane.  "  Every  little  helps." 

243 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Once,  on  the  third  afternoon,  commissioned 
by  Mrs.  Lee,  they  went  inside  to  buy  cakes,  and 
Hope,  her  eyes  blazing  with  happy  excitement, 
confirmed  all  their  highest  hopes. 

"  Seems  as  if  we'd  really  got  started  at  last,"  she 
declared.  "  People  are  all  so  curious  about  the 
queer  little  sticks.  They  come  in  to  ask  questions 
and  they  always  buy  something.  We're  all  so 
happy !  Tell  Nancy  that  our  things  are  almost 
beginning  to  wear  out." 

"  You're  staying  on,  of  course  ? "  Jane  ques- 
tioned. 

Hope  nodded.  "  Such  a  funny  thing  happened 
the  other  day.  The  old  gentleman  at  '  Gray 
Gables '  came  to  the  Inn  and  asked  for  me  and 
wanted  to  hire  me  to  amuse  his  grandchild — the 
little  sick  girl  that  Nancy  knows  and  Miss  Willis 
makes  lovely  dresses  for.  He  was  fearfully  angry 
when  I  said  I  couldn't  leave  the  Inn.  But  after 
I'd  explained  how  I'd  been  engaged  for  the  whole 
summer  and  how  it  wouldn't  be  honorable  to  stop 
right  in  the  busy  month,  when  I'm  most  needed, 
he  was  all  right  about  it.  I  told  him  I  might  be 
able  to  let  him  have  my  extra  afternoons,  if  the 
Dolphin  didn't  improve,  and  he's  coming  to-day 
to  see.  I  hope  he  won't  be  cross  at  the  poor  Dol- 
phin." 

"  Nancy  says  he's  awfully  rich,"  suggested 

244 


THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  GAME 

Christina.  "  Perhaps  he'd  pay  you  more  than 
the  others  do." 

"  Oh,  yes,  he  offered  me  more,"  said  Hope 
quietly,  "  but  when  you've  given  your  word,  you 
can't  let  the  amount  of  pay  make  a  difference." 

"  I'm  more  and  more  convinced  of  the  beauty 
of  my  system,"  Jane  told  Nancy,  after  they  had 
given  her  the  latest  news  from  Hope.  "  Play  off 
your  Lookout  cases  against  one  another  and  if 
possible  make  both  parties  swap  extra  things 
they've  got  and  can't  use  for  things  they  need. 
That  saves  us  all  kinds  of  trouble.  Only  it's  a  bit 
difficult  arranging  matters  for  the  best  interests  of 
everybody,"  sighed  Jane.  "  For  instance,  if  we 
hadn't  resuscitated  the  Dolphin,  we  could  have 
swapped  some  of  Judge  Smith's  money,  which 
Hope  needs  so  badly,  for  Hope's  recipe  for  happi- 
ness, which  the  grumbling  Clare  needs  even  more. 
That  would  have  been  a  very  good  swap." 

"  Well,  what's  the  next  best  ?  "  demanded  prac- 
tical little  Christina. 

"  There's  another  '  case '  that's  got  what  Clare 
needs  " — Nancy  joined  eagerly  in  the  discussion. 
"  There's  the  Miggs  child  with  her  '  grit  and  good 
spirits.'  But  I  don't  see  how  we're  going  to  bring 
the  two  of  them  together." 

"  Lawrence  Who-are-you  is  a  happy-sounding 
person,"  put  in  Jane.  "  I  should  think  the 

245 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

naughty,  woebegone  Clare  would  adore  watching 
his  treasure  hunt." 

"  But  what  can  she  swap  back  to  him,  Jane?  " 
queried  the  practical  twin  anxiously. 

"  Friendship,"  retorted  Jane  promptly.  "  That 
boy  needs  friends,  I  should  say,  particularly  in- 
fluential friends  like  the  very  rich  Smiths  of 
1  Gray  Gables '  to  vouch  for  him  and  his  mother. 
Judge  Smith  appears  to  like  him,  according  to 
what  the  boys  say,  but  he  doesn't  know  anything 
definite  about  him.  Children  are  great  at  finding 
things  out.  Clare  could  find  out  all  about  the 
queerness  of  Lawrence  what's-his-name's  family, 
and  she  could  tell  her  grandfather  ;  and  if  ever  the 
time  comes  when  they  need  somebody  to  speak  up 
for  them " 

"  No,  Jane,"  interposed  Nancy  hastily.  "  You 
don't  understand  about  Clare.  She's  not  the  kind 
of  child  to  make  friends  with  anybody.  The  other 
person  has  to  do  all  that.  You've  got  to  coax  her 
and  amuse  her  and  cuddle  her  and  make  her  do 
as  you  want  and  not  mind  what  she  says  to  you. 
Oh,  cheering  up  Clare  is  a  big  job !  I  don't  believe 
any  boy  could  do  it.  Certainly  not  a  boy  as  queer 
as  the  Green  Knight." 

"  All  right,"  agreed  Jane  disconsolately.  "  May- 
be we'll  have  to  do  it  ourselves.  The  swap  system 
is  a  wonder,  if  I  did  invent  it  myself,  but  no  system 

246 


THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  GAME 

is  perfect.  There  will  always  be  things  left  over 
for  the  managers  to  attend  to." 

"  Well,  I  want  the  little  Miggs  child  attended  to 
more  than  anybody,"  insisted  Christina.  "  She's 
the  saddest  case  of  all  we  have.  Think  hard, 
Nancy,  while  we're  gone,  how  we  can  do  some- 
thing for  her." 

Doctor  Dale  was  coming  to  massage  Nancy's 
ankle,  and  the  twins  had  seized  the  opportunity  to 
let  Bill  and  Joe  conduct  them  out  to  Baxter's 
Reef. 

When  she  had  sped  them  on  the  way,  Nancy 
lay  back  in  her  chair  thinking  hard — not  at  first 
about  Mrs.  Miggs's  brave  little  grandchild,  but 
about  all  the  happenings  of  the  summer.  Never 
until  last  spring  had  she  been  interested  in  any- 
thing beyond  her  own  affairs — her  own  good  times 
and  her  friends  and  family.  And  then  had  come 
that  big  overwhelming  interest — Timmy.  For 
a  while  she  had  thought  only  of  him.  Now  her 
head  was  full  of  a  tangled  maze  of  other  people's 
affairs,  especially  other  people's  troubles.  No 
one  of  these  people  was  as  dear  to  her  as 
Timmy.  But  they  all  mattered,  though  none 
were  intimate  friends,  none  mixed  up  with 
Nancy's  own  personal  happiness.  She  wanted 
them  all  to  come  out  right,  like  the  end  of  a  story  ; 
to  find  their  "  places  in  the  sun  "  in  the  phrase 

247 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

that  Miss  Marshall  had  explained  to  them  so 
beautifully  in  her  farewell  talk  at  Fair  Oaks 
School.  And  it  did  seem  as  if  Nancy  could  help 
a  little,  with  Jane  to  think  of  lovely  things  like 
flower-sticks  and  the  swapping  system,  and  Chris- 
tina to  say,  "  Will  it  work  ?  "  whenever  impractical 
Jane  and  careless  Nancy  were  inclined  to  go  too 
fast  and  expect  too  much. 

Christina  had  bidden  Nancy  think  hard  about 
Mrs.  Miggs's  grandchild,  and  finally  Nancy  got  to 
her.  She  didn't  like  to  think  very  hard  about 
another  girl  who  could  never  walk  ;  having  to  lie 
in  bed  day  after  day  cast  such  a  big  black  shadow 
over  the  sunshine  of  living.  And  Mrs.  Miggs  had 
said  there  was  no  help  for  it.  Wasn't  there  ?  All 
the  youth  and  hope  in  Nancy  cried  out  in  revolt 
against  the  idea  of  a  lifetime  of  suffering. 

Trying  to  imagine  what  it  would  be  like  to  be 
hopelessly  crippled,  Nancy  closed  her  eyes,  to  shut 
out  the  shady,  flower-decked  piazza,  the  lovely 
wooded  slope,  the  gleaming,  sun-kissed,  wind- 
swept harbor.  To  be  in  bed  in  rather  a  dark, 
homely  little  room  in  a  shabby  little  house  down 
on  the  Neck,  to  lie  there  year  in  and  year  out, 
till  you  were  old  and  died, — or  perhaps  it  wouldn't 
be  so  long.  Two  tears  squeezed  under  Nancy's 
tight-closed  lids  and  streamed  down  her  cheeks. 

"  Oh,  good-afternoon  I  "  called  a  rather  embar- 

248 


THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  GAME 

rassed  voice  from  the  boat-house  path.  "  Per- 
haps I  shouldn't  have  come  in  by  way  of  your 
wharf." 

It  was  Doctor  Dale.  In  a  flash  Nancy  brushed 
away  those  two  silly  tears  and  assured  her  visitor 
rather  haughtily  that  he  was  perfectly  welcome  to 
use  the  wharf  and  the  path,  if  he  found  it  more 
convenient.  Her  haughty  manner  was  due,  of 
course,  to  annoyance  at  having  been  caught  crying 
and  not  being  able  to  explain  the  reason.  Doctor 
Dale  would  think  she  was  impatient  at  having  to 
stay  quiet  on  such  a  lovely  day.  Well,  he  would 
have  to  go  on  thinking  so ;  it  would  seem  even 
sillier  to  explain  that  she  had  imagined  herself 
bedridden,  and  cried  about  that ! 

"  I've  been  sailing,"  explained  Doctor  Dale,  in 
an  obvious  effort  to  cheer  his  melancholy  patient. 
"  Sorry  I'm  late.  There's  a  bully  wind  outside  the 
breakwater,  but  we  had  to  tack  in  from  there, 
and  that's  slow  work.  Ankle  bothering  any? 
May  I  look  at  it  right  here  ?  " 

Being  kneaded  and  poked  and  patted  and 
pounded  didn't  hurt  much  to-day.  For  a  while 
Nancy  watched  the  doctor's  deft  hands  with  interest; 
then  his  performance  grew  monotonous  and  her 
thoughts  wandered  back  to  the  other  girl.  For- 
getting all  about  the  doctor,  Nancy  shut  her  eyes 
again  and  was  back  once  more  in  the  cheerless 

249 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

little  room  in  the  shabby  house  down  on  the  Neck. 
Poor  little  child  1  Nancy  was  rather  weak  and 
nervous  from  all  that  she  had  been  through  ;  hard 
things  seemed  harder  to  her  just  now  than 
ordinarily  they  would.  Again  those  two  pitying 
tears  squeezed  out  and  slipped  down  her  cheeks. 
Indignant  at  herself,  Nancy  opened  her  eyes, 
proudly  ignoring  the  tears,  in  the  hope  that  Doctor 
Dale  hadn't  noticed  them.  But  the  hateful  man, 
who  had  not  once  lifted  his  eyes  before  from  the 
level  of  Nancy's  ankle,  was  staring  anxiously  up 
into  her  face. 

"  I'm  sorry,"  he  blurted  out  in  eager  apology. 
"  I  hadn't  any  idea  that  I  was  hurting  you  badly. 
You  should  have  stopped  me." 

"  You  haven't  hurt  one  bit,"  Nancy  assured  him 
hastily.  "  It's  not  that  at  all." 

"  Oh,  I  know,"  the  doctor  nodded  sagely.  "  Sit- 
ting tight  and  missing  all  the  fun  that's  going  does 
make  anybody  blue  and  miserable.  But  you  can 
walk  now.  Try  it." 

Obediently  Nancy  jumped  up  and  paced  back 
and  forth  on  the  piazza. 

"  Why,  it's  perfectly  wonderful !  "  she  cried. 
"  Only  four  days,  and  that  ankle  doesn't  wobble  a 
bit.  It  goes  beautifully.  Oh,  thank  you  so  much, 
Doctor  Dale ! " 

"  Don't  cry  any  more  about  a  little  thing  like 

250 


THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  GAME 

that  ankle,"  advised  the  doctor,  hiding  embarrass- 
ment under  a  brusque  manner. 

"  Oh,  but  I  wasn't  I "  denied  Nancy.  "  I  was — 
it  sounds  pretty  silly,  but  I  was  just  trying  to 
imagine  how  it  would  feel  not  to  be  able  to  walk 
again  ever." 

"  Was  that  all  the  confidence  you  had  in  me  ?  " 
scoffed  back  the  doctor  gaily. 

"  Oh,  you  don't  understand  yet !  "  Nancy  began 
all  over  again  patiently.  "  I  wasn't  thinking  of 
myself  at  all.  I  heard  about  a  poor  little  crippled 
child  who  lives  down  on  the  Neck,  and  I  was 
thinking  of  her  and  being  sorry  for  her.  Her 
grandmother  is  the  nurse  who  came  here  to  rub 
my  other  ankle — I  mean  she  came  the  other  time 
I  hurt  it.  She  told  me  about  the  child." 

"  Well,  you  mustn't  tell  me  about  any  crippled 
children."  Doctor  Dale  seated  himself  comfortably 
on  the  piazza-railing  and  smiled  quizzically  down 
at  Nancy.  "  I'm  on  my  honeymoon  and  taking  a 
much-needed  vacation  into  the  bargain.  Of  course 
emergency  cases  " — he  waved  his  hand  at  Nancy 
— "  have  to  be  attended  to,  in  spite  of  honey- 
moons. But  you  mustn't  get  me  into  anything 
else." 

"  Oh,  I  wasn't,"  Nancy  assured  him  earnestly. 
"  You  couldn't  do  anything  for  this  little  girl,  be- 
cause there's  nothing  that  can  be  done  for  her.  At 

251 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

least  Mrs.  Miggs — that's  her  grandmother — said 
so." 

"  Oh,  she  did,  did  she  ?  "  said  the  doctor,  now 
glaring  sternly  at  Nancy.  "  Nonsense !  I  don't 
believe  it." 

"  Oh,  don't  you  really  ?  "  cried  Nancy  eagerly. 
11  Wouldn't  it  be  splendid  if  it  wasn't  so  ?  " 

"  Umph ! "  Doctor  Roger  Dale  still  glared 
sternly.  "  Not  so  very  splendid,  as  far  as  I  can 
see — unless  they  do  something  for  the  child." 

"  Oh,  no,  of  course  not,"  agreed  Nancy  sadly. 
"  But  then  "—she  brightened—"  I'll  tell  Mrs. 
Miggs  what  you've  said,  and  of  course  she  will  do 
something  right  away,  if  she  can  possibly  find  out 
what  to  do." 

"  She  probably  can't  afford  to  do  it,"  growled  the 
doctor  from  his  perch  on  the  railing.  "  Not  too 
sick  to  be  cured,  but  too  poor  to  be  cured  :  that's 
the  child's  complaint,  I  should  judge.  It's  the 
complaint  of  a  great  many  people  in  this  world. 
You're  lucky  not  to  know  as  much  about  'em  as  I 
have  to." 

"  Oh,  I  hadn't  thought  of  that."  Nancy  was 
determined  not  to  be  daunted  in  her  quest  for  in- 
formation by  Doctor  Roger  Dale's  curious  display 
of  ill-temper.  Of  course  if  he  didn't  wish  to  work 
during  his  vacation,  he  needn't ;  but  it  wouldn't 
hurt  him  any,  now  that  the  subject  had  come 

252 


THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  GAME 

up,  to  tell  Nancy  what  Mrs.  Miggs  should  do  if 
she  could  afford  it.  "  If  it  doesn't  cost  too  dread- 
fully much  to  cure  her,"  Nancy  went  on  eagerly, 
"  maybe  we  girls  could  think  of  a  way  to  make 
some  money  for  her.  Or  perhaps  they'd  give  her 
some  of  the  profits  from  the  big  fair  they  always 
have  at  the  Inn.  It's  coming  early  in  August,  I 
think.  So  if  you'd  tell  me  what  could  bedone " 

"  My  word  !  You're  a  determined  young  lady, 
aren't  you  ?  "  A  faint  smile  was  twitching  at  the 
doctor's  stern  mouth. 

"  Why, — maybe  I  am,"  admitted  Nancy.  "  But 
if  you  knew  Mrs.  Miggs,  I'm  sure  you'd  be  de- 
termined to  help  her  in  any  way  you  could.  She's 
so  little  and  she  works  so  hard,  and  yet  she's  the 
cheerfulest  person  you  can  imagine.  The  grand- 
child is  cheerful  too,  she  says.  Why,  if  she  can 
be  cured,  Mrs.  Miggs  will  be  made  I " 

"  I  didn't  say  the  child  could  be  cured  ! "  The 
doctor  was  all  nettles  again.  "  How  absurd  !  I've 
never  seen  her !  I  don't  even  know  what's  the 
matter  with  her.  You're  a  very  inaccurate  young 


woman." 


"But  you  did  say "  began  Nancy.  The 

doctor  jumped  down  from  his  perch  on  the  railing 
and  strolled  impatiently  off  down  the  long  piazza. 

"  See  here  1  "  He  wheeled  abruptly  and  came 
back  to  Nancy's  side.  "  I  haven't  yet  said  any- 

253 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

thing  worth  saying.  Now  I'm  going  to  !  You 
tell  this  brave  little  grandmother  that  if  she  wants 
another  doctor — young  but  well  trained  in  a  lot 
of  the  new  surgical  wrinkles — to  come  and  see  the 
little  lame  girl,  why,  he'd  esteem  it  a  privilege  to 
be  allowed  the  opportunity.  Now  are  you  satis- 
fied?" 

"  But  you  said,"  gasped  Nancy,  "  that  on  your 
vacation " 

"  Can't  you  see  just  to  look  at  me,"  the  doctor 
broke  in  irascibly,  "  that  I'm  not  the  vacation 
kind?  I  can't  sit  around  and  play  at  amusing 
myself.  I've  got  too  much  corked  up  inside  me. 
The  world's  too  sad  a  place — too  many  things 
need  setting  right.  Didn't  Marion — my  wife — 
tell  you  what  we're  really  doing  down  here,  while 
her  father  and  my  mother  fondly  imagine  that 
I'm  resting  after  two  strenuous  years  in  Europe, 
and  making  up  my  mind  to  accept  a  fashionable 
New  York  surgeon's  offer  to  help  him  with  his 
highly  lucrative  practice?  She  didn't?  I  under- 
stood from  her  that  you're  the  good  angel  who 
sent  her  the  expert  on  stoves." 

"  Well,  I  am  I  I  mean  I  did,"  laughed  Nancy. 
"  But  she  only  said  she  wanted  to  learn  to  do  all 
the  cooking  for  you." 

The  doctor  smiled  affably.  "  Put  it  on  the 
grounds  of  sentiment,  did  she?  Marion's  a  won- 

254 


THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  GAME 

derful  woman ;  she  can  keep  a  secret — her  scien- 
tific father  brought  her  up  that  way.  But  I  think 
you  deserve  to  know  why  Marion's  so  hipped  on 
cooking.  It's  because  we're  planning  to  live  on 
nothing  much  a  year  in  a  little  house  on  a  dingy 
city  street,  and  be  as  happy  as  two  skylarks  hunt- 
ing up  all  the  sick,  miserable  people  and  curing 
'em,  and  the  stupid,  untrained  people  and  telling 
'em  how  to  keep  well  and  be  happy.  Life's  going 
to  be  one  big  chance  to  help — one  big  adventure 
of  hunting  up  the  people  who  want  what  you 
have  to  give  and  then  giving  it.  My  mother  and 
Marion's  father  are  bound  to  be  fearfully  disap- 
pointed, but  Marion  and  I  can't  see  things  any 
other  way." 

"  Oh,  how  splendid  !  "  Nancy's  voice  was  vi- 
brant with  eagerness.  "  Why,  Doctor  Dale,  your 
idea  is  just  exactly  like  the  Lookout  game  that 
Mrs.  Miggs  taught  me,  to  cheer  me  up  about  my 
spoiled  summer." 

"  Yes,  dearie,  and  how's  the  game  going  now  ?  " 
demanded  another  eager  voice  from  the  sitting- 
room  door.  Then  this  new  voice  changed  its  tone 
suddenly.  "  Oh,  Miss  Nancy ! "  With  fright- 
ened, apologetic  flutterings  of  the  rusty  black 
bonnet  and  the  much-darned  black  gloves,  little 
Mrs.  Miggs,  having  suddenly  perceived  the  doctor, 
stood  poised  for  flight.  "That  girl  was  tied  up 

255 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

with  her  dinner  again,"  she  explained,  "  and  she 
told  me  to  come  straight  out,  as  you  were  alone. 
When  I  heard  talking,  I  s'posed  it  was  only  the 
children.  I'll  run  right  along." 

"  Please  don't,"  Nancy  begged  her.  "  It's  only 
my  new  doctor — Doctor  Dale,  Mrs.  Miggs." 

The  young  doctor  made  his  courtliest  bow  to  the 
shabby  little  lady,  who  beamed  brightly  up  at  him. 

"  I  heard  about  Miss  Nancy's  being  so  dretful 
careless,"  she  told  him,  "  and  how  you're  curing 
her  something  lovely." 

"  He's  finished  the  cure  already.  I  can  walk 
now,  Mrs.  Miggs,"  cried  Nancy,  and  proved  it. 

"  My  I  These  new  ways  are  beyond  me,"  sighed 
the  little  lady.  "  Makes  me  wisht  I  was  young 
and  could  start  where  you  are." 

"  So  you  like  new  ways,  do  you  ?  "  the  doctor 
asked  her. 

She  nodded  briskly.  "  I  like  all  the  good  ones," 
she  laughed,  "  and  the  queer  ones  interest  me.  I 
s'pose  I'm  dretful  old-fashioned  in  some  things, 
but  I  try  not  to  be  sot.  What's  the  use  of  living 
any  longer,  if  you're  sure  you  know  it  all  ?  " 

"  There's  one  thing  I  don't  know  that  interests 
me,"  declared  the  doctor.  "  What's  this  Lookout 
game  that  Miss  Nancy  says  you  recommend  for 
keeping  patients  cheerful?  A  doctor  can't  know 
too  many  devices  of  that  nature." 

256 


THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  GAME 

"  I  didn't  tell  her  no  game,"  Mrs.  Miggs  depre- 
cated modestly.  "  I  just  give  her  a  hint,  and  she's 
done  wonders  with  it.  It  ain't  my  game;  it's 
hers.  I  guess  it  takes  the  young  to  be  real  good  at 
playin'  games,  doctor.  Now  my  little  grand- 
daughter— the  one  that's  sick — she'd  make  a  game 
out  of  anything." 

"Does  she  also  play  the  Lookout  game? "de- 
manded the  doctor. 

Mrs.  Miggs  shook  the  little  black  bonnet  sadly. 
"  She  couldn't  hardly — not  the  way  Miss  Nancy 
does.  She  hasn't  the  chances  to.  But  she's  got 
a  part  in  it,  all  the  samey.  She's  Miss  Nancy's 
best  case,  isn't  she,  dearie?  Miss  Nancy  was 
cheered  up  something  lovely  after  hearing  about 
my  poor  little  lamb." 

Nancy  blushed  violently.  "  Well,  I  hope  I 
have  some  sense,"  she  defended  herself  hotly.  "  A 
sprained  ankle  seemed  pretty  bad  at  first — before 
I  knew  about  this  quick  way  of  curing  it.  But 
Mrs.  Miggs  told  me  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  people 
worse  off  than  I,  and  I  found  plenty.  That  was 
her  part  of  the  game,  and  the  rest  that  I  added 
was  trying  to  do  something  to  help.  It's  been  lots 
of  fun — but  of  course  you  can  see  that." 

"  I  can,"  assented  the  doctor  briskly.  "  In  fact 
I  agree  with  Mrs.  Miggs  that  the  best  part  of  the 
game  is  what  you  added.  Now  don't  you  let 

257 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

other  people  play  too?  Because — I  think  I've 
heard  about  this  little  lame  child,  Mrs.  Miggs,  and 
if  she's  one  of  Miss  Nancy's  cases,  won't  you  and 
Miss  Nancy  let  me  get  into  the  game  by  trying  to 
help  her?  Of  course  I  can't  promise  anything, 
but  some  of  these  newfangled  ways,  as  you  call 
them,  might  work." 

Instead  of  being  overjoyed  at  the  offer,  as  Nancy 
had  expected,  little  Mrs.  Miggs  stared  hard  at  her 
would-be  benefactor.  "  Young  man,"  she  began 
after  a  moment,  "  you  ain't  seeking  experience  so 
hard  that  you'd  try  silly  experiments  ?  " 

The  young  man  in  question  seemed  prepared  for 
Mrs.  Miggs's  suspicions  of  him.  "  Yes,  I  am 
young,"  he  agreed  pleasantly,  "  but  I've  already 
had  a  good  deal  of  experience,  nevertheless.  I've 

studied  with "  He  sat  down  beside  Mrs. 

Miggs  and  slowly  went  through  an  exhaustive  ac- 
count of  his  medical  education.  Mrs.  Miggs  lis- 
tened attentively,  her  gloved  hands  clasped  in  her 
lap,  until  she  heard  the  name  of  a  great  foreign 
surgeon. 

"You  studied  with  him?"  demanded  Mrs. 
Miggs.  "  With  that  very  man  ?  " 

Doctor  Dale  nodded.  "And  I  think  he'd  tell 
you,  if  you  were  to  ask  him,  that  I  made  good  in 
the  work  he's  so  splenoMd  at." 

"  Then" — Mrs.  Miggs  held  out  her  black-gloved 

258 


THE  BEST  MOVE  IN  THE  GAME 

hands  to  the  doctor,  as  if  in  token  that  she  ac- 
cepted him,  and  spoke  solemnly,  as  of  deep  things 
— "  then  I  know  that  you're  the  best  chance  my 
baby  has  of  being  cured.  Sammy  Jennings  ain't 
up  on  the  new  ways.  He's  been  tied  down  here 
all  his  life,  and  couldn't  go  to  those  foreign  places 
to  learn  about  'em.  But  he  reads  what  he  can  and 
he's  told  me  that  children  worse  off  than  my  dar- 
ling has  been  made  as  good  as  new  by  that  great 
man.  And  you  know  his  ways  ?  You  go  ahead 
and  do  your  best,  and  I'll  thank  you  with  all  my 
heart,  and  pay  you  all  you  ask,  if  you'll  just  be 
a  little  patient." 

"  Mrs.  Miggs,"  said  the  doctor  sternly,  "  don't 
you  know  any  more  than  that  about  the  rules  of 
good  sport?  Don't  you  know  that  one  always 
plays  the  game  for  the  game's  sake,  and  for 
nothing  else?  You've  done  it  often  enough,  I'm 
sure.  Let  me  have  my  chance." 

"  Do  I "  begged  Nancy,  who  had  followed  the 
colloquy  with  breathless  attention.  "  Please  do, 
Mrs.  Miggs  !  The  Lookout  game  will  come  out  so 
splendidly  if  you  will." 

Mrs.  Miggs  lifted  her  little  head  proudly,  and 
turning  from  Nancy  to  the  doctor,  shook  it  de- 
terminedly. 

"  See  here  !  "  Doctor  Dale  began  after  a  min- 
ute. "  This  is  only  a  fair  exchange,  Mrs.  Miggs. 

259 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Unless  I'm  a  bad  guesser,  I've  been  a  Lookout 
case  too — or  my  family  has.  Isn't  that  so,  Miss 
Nancy?  And  Miss  Nancy,  a  perfect  stranger, 
came  to  our  rescue  in  great  shape.  Now  doesn't 
that  put  the  matter  on  a  different  basis  ?  " 

Little  Mrs.  Miggs  considered  frowningly  for  a 
moment,  and  then  threw  out  her  gloved  hands 
in  token  of  surrender. 

"  The  rules  of  this  game  are  too  much  for  me, 
doctor,"  she  smiled.  "  I  guess  the  principal  thing 
is  for  you  to  help  my  baby  if  you  can.  I  guess  I 
can't  quarrel  with  you  on  details,  leastways  not 
now,"  concluded  Mrs.  Miggs  significantly,  and 
made  a  bird-like  dart  to  the  door.  "  Why,  I 
clean  forgot  my  next  appointment,"  she  muttered. 
Then  her  voice  broke.  "  I  couldn't  thank  you 
even  if  I  had  the  time,  which  I  haven't."  And 
with  a  telltale  flutter  of  her  handkerchief  Mrs. 
Miggs  vanished. 


260 


CHAPTER  XV 

THAT   FATAL   REGATTA 

AFTER  Nancy's  manipulation  of  what  little 
Christina  Learned  called  "  the  darlingest  swap 
of  all,"  interest  in  the  Lookout  game  rather  lan- 
guished. The  little  White  Girl  coolly  disposed  of 
her  own  case  by  striking  up  a  sudden  and  entirely 
inexplicable  friendship  with  Billy  Lee.  For 
reasons  connected  with  Clare's  possession  of  a 
pony,  Billy  reciprocated  her  friendly  advances, 
and  Josephine,  model  of  adoring  sisterhood, 
tagged  along,  consoled  Clare  when  Billy  informed 
her  with  boyish  candor  that  she  was  a  'fraid  cat  or 
a  silly,  and  kept  Billy  in  his  place  by  developing 
a  daring  in  the  matter  of  bareback  riding  that 
Billy,  try  his  best,  could  not  equal.  Doctor  Dale 
had  begun  treating  Mrs.  Miggs's  granddaughter, 
and  the  hope  he  held  out  of  a  cure,  slow  but 
certain,  put  new  heart  into  the  brave  little  nurse's 
cheery  optimism.  Miss  Willis,  for  whom  the 
Dolphin's  tail  had  been  so  successfully  kinked, 
showed  a  proper  appreciation  of  her  sudden  pros- 
perity by  sharing  it. 

"  I  can  afford  to  pay  you  more  now,  and  you're 

261 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

well  worth  it,"  she  told  Hope  Haskins.  "  You're 
so  quick  in  your  motions  that  you  do  the  work  of 
two  girls,  and  I'd  far  rather  have  you  than  half  a 
dozen." 

So  Hope's  eyes  were  always  starry  these  days, 
with  the  dear  Dolphin  flourishing  beyond  her  wild- 
est dreams,  and  college  for  next  fall  almost  a  cer- 
tainty. Also,  there  had  been  two  rainy  afternoons 
when  tea-shop  business  was  bound  to  languish — 
but  that  was  almost  a  blessing  now,  because  Miss 
Willis  could  catch  up  with  orders  for  garden-sticks 
— and  on  both  days  Miss  Willis  had  told  Hope 
not  to  stay.  These  unexpected  holidays  had  been 
spent  with  Nancy  and  the  twins.  It  took  a  very 
hard  rain  indeed  to  drive  the  girls  in  from  the 
Birdcage.  There,  on  her  first  free  afternoon, 
Hope  was  duly  initiated  into  the  W.  W.'s. 

"  We  invented  'em  to  save  Miss  I-Forgot  Nancy's 
spoiled  jumper,"  explained  Jane,  when  a  mystic 
ritual,  arranged  by  her,  had  been  finished.  "  When 
a  thing's  spoiled,  make  a  feature  of  it.  That's  a 
good  rule  to  begin  life  with.  Well,  first  W.  W. 
stood  for  Woodland  Wanderers,  which  is  pretty  but 
tame, — though  I  may  say  there  wasn't  anything 
tame  about  one  of  N.  Lee's  woodland  wanderings. 
Well,  we  got  tired  of  that,  and  changed  to  Wonder- 
Workers.  That's  what  you  are  now,  star-eyed 
Hope,  a  Wonder- Worker.  See  that  you  work  'em." 

262 


THAT   FATAL    REGATTA 

"Oh,  could  I?"  demanded  Hope  doubtfully. 
"  Tell  me  about  some.  I  shouldn't  know  how  to 
begin." 

"  At  present,"  Jane  informed  her  majestically, 
"  the  Wonder- Workers  are  principally  engaged  in 
helping  N.  Lee  with  her  Lookout  cases.  We're  a 
sort  of  annex  to  her  Lookout  game." 

"  You  helped  with  one  case,  you  know,  Hope," 
interjected  Nancy  hastily,  "  that  day  you  went  out 
to  Mrs.  Dale's  and  showed  her  about  her  stove- 
dampers." 

Hope  laughed  merrily.  "  But  there  was  noth- 
ing wonderful  about  that,  Nancy  dear,"  she 
protested.  "  It  was  just  plain  common-sense — just 
knowing  how." 

"  Knowing  how,"  repeated  Jane  solemnly,  "  is 
the  whole  thing,  more  often  than  not,  as  nobody 
realizes  better  than  you.  Isn't  the  owl  your  sacred 
bird  and  an  education  your  highest  ambition  ?  At 
present  the  W.  W.'s  are  trying  to  solve  the  mys- 
tery of  the  queer  boy  who  digs  for  treasure 
and  his  queer  mother  who  wears  a  green  veil. 
Apply  your  owlish  wisdom  to  that  problem,  star- 
eyed  Hope.  Have  we  given  you  all  details  to 
date?" 

"  I  think  so,"  Hope  told  her,  "  except  whether 
the  boys  have  heard  the  ghost  since  they've  been 
sleeping  at  '  Gray  Gables.' ' 

263 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

The  three  girls  burst  out  laughing. 

"They  sleep  right  through  it,"  explained 
Christina.  "  Judge  Smith's  secretary,  who  was  in 
the  next  room,  heard  the  noise  faintly  through  the 
wall,  but  he  never  thought  to  call  the  boys,  of 
course.  He  supposed  they  were  investigating, — 
quietly,  so  as  not  to  frighten  the  creature  off.  The 
next  night  he  heard  the  ghost  again  and  went  to 
knock  them  up,  but  he  had  to  go  in  and  shake 
them  before  they  woke,  and  by  that  time,  natu- 
rally, the  cries  had  stopped.  The  boys  were  awfully 
ashamed." 

"  Did  Judge  Smith  scold  ?  "  asked  Hope,  who 
had  had  an  experience  of  the  irascible  old  gentle- 
man's annoyance. 

"  No,  but  he  teased  them  unmercifully,"  ex- 
plained Nancy.  "  Dick  and  Peter  didn't  care 
much,  but  Johnny  Andrews  feels  dreadfully. 
He  is  the  soundest  sleeper  of  all,  and  he  doesn't 
think  he  can  ever  be  a  regular  detective,  as  he'd 
planned.  He  tried  sitting  up  in  a  chair,  but  he 
fell  out  and  slept  sounder  than  ever  on  the 
floor." 

"  Well,"  said  Hope  philosophically,  "  it's  a  good 
thing  he's  found  out  now  what  he  can't  do.  He 
can  have  something  else  already  chosen  before  he's 
grown  up.  It's  time  I  ran  home  to  my  tables, 
Nancy  Lee." 

264 


THAT   FATAL    REGATTA 

"  You're  sure  you  can't  possibly  come  with  us  in 
Johnny's  boat  the  evening  of  the  regatta  ? " 
Nancy  asked  her.  "  Peter  said  to  tell  you  you 
must." 

Hope  shook  her  head  sadly.  "  I  was  off  duty 
Fourth  of  July  evening,  and  this  time  it's  my  turn 
to  stay  in.  You  can't  leave  a  hotel  all  to  itself, 
you  see.  Some  of  the  guests  will  be  sure  to  stick 
around  the  house.  Miss  Aurelia  Pringle  is  afraid 
of  the  night  air,  and  Mr.  Richardson  hates  the 
water  and  never  goes  near  it.  Then  Mrs.  Augus- 
tus Walker,  the  one  who  talks  to  us  about 
suffrage,  has  just  had  what  she  calls  an  attack  of 
nerves.  Doctor  Jennings  has  been  twice  to  see 
her,  and  her  bell  rings  about  once  in  ten  minutes. 
So  I  shan't  have  time  to  sit  and  sigh  for  lost  joys," 
ended  Hope  quaintly. 

"  We  shall  sigh  for  you,  Hope,"  Nancy  told  her. 

"  Peter  specially,"  put  in  Christina. 

"  Oh,  thank  you  all  for  that !  "  cried  Hope,  quite 
unconcerned  over  all  the  teasing  references  to  Peter. 
"  The  weather  report  says  fair  and  warmer  to- 
morrow, so  there  ought  to  be  plenty  of  moonlight." 
Hope  gave  a  little  sigh.  "  I  haven't  ever  been  out 
in  a  boat  by  moonlight.  Touch  the  little  silver 
ripples  for  me,  Nancy  dear,  and  look  hard  for  mer- 
maids. Good-bye." 

"  Good-bye,  Cinderella  !  "  called  Jane.  "  Five 

265 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

is  your  fatal  hour,  instead  of  midnight."  She 
turned  to  the  other  girls.  "  Wouldn't  I  love  to  be 
her  fairy  godmother  !  " 

"The  reason  she's  such  a  dear,  Jane,"  Christina 
assured  her  tall  twin,  "  is  because  she  doesn't  need 
a  fairy  godmother.  She  goes  ahead  and  makes  her 
good  times  for  herself,  and  she  doesn't  let  her  bad 
times  worry  her.  Now  that  call  on  Cecilia  and 
Alexandra  that  we  promised  each  other  we'd  make 
before  dinner " 

"  Is  going  to  be  one  of  my  bad  times,"  Jane  cut 
in  blandly.  "  Well,  come  along,  girls.  I'll  try 
not  to  let  it  worry  me." 

"  Try  not  to  worry  us,  Jane,"  amended  Christina 
severely. 

11  Remember  I've  got  to  live  next  to  Cecilia  all 
summer  and  other  summers,  too,  maybe,"  put  in 
Nancy. 

"  That  reminds  me,  Nancy."  Christina  pulled 
out  a  letter  and  passed  it  to  her  twin.  "  Mother's 
written  to  know  when  we're  coming  home.  Our 
two  weeks'  visit  was  up  several  days  ago." 

"  Oh,  but  you  can't  go  until  we've  finished  the 
Green  Knight's  case,"  Nancy  protested.  "  You 
don't  want  to,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Does  your  mother  think  so  too  ?  "  asked  Jane, 
evidently  prompted  by  something  in  the  letter  she 
was  reading. 

266 


THAT   FATAL    REGATTA 

"  She  told  me  to-day  to  keep  you  just  as  long  as 
I  could,"  Nancy  assured  them  heartily. 

"  Then  that  settles  it,"  said  Jane.  "  Mother 
won't  specially  mind,  and  we  couldn't  bear  to  leave 
the  mystery  of  the  Green  Knight  unsolved  behind 
us.  It  would  seem  like  defeat.  Under  the  cir- 
cumstances, N.  Lee,  I  promise  to  be  superbly  polite 
to  the  hateful  Cecilia.  Only  don't  stay  long." 

The  mystery  of  the  Green  Knight  was  destined 
to  grow  deeper  before  it  was  solved.  Even  his  trio 
of  staunch  defenders  was  forced  to  admit  that  the 
evidence,  though  circumstantial,  was  strong  against 
him  in  the  matter  of  the  big  robbery  at  the  Inn. 
Dick,  Little  Peter,  and  Johnny  Andrews  declared 
solemnly  that  the  case  was  as  good  as  proven ;  and 
the  two  professional  detectives  who  came  out  from 
town,  in  the  interests  of  the  Inn  management  and 
Mrs.  Augustus  Walker,  confidentially  assured  their 
clients,  who  confidentially  told  their  friends,  that 
they  agreed  with  the  boys. 

But  Hope  Haskins,  who  knew  more  about  what 
happened  than  any  one  else,  disagreed. 

"  He's  a  queer  boy,  and  queer  accidents  might 
happen  to  him,"  Hope  declared.  "  He  acted  as  if 
he  was  telling  the  truth,  and  I  believe  him.  Be- 
sides, I  know  it  wasn't  his  hand  I  touched.  I 
know  that  positively." 

267 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

But  this  is  getting  ahead  of  the  story. 

Hope  was  quite  correct  in  her  assumption  that 
the  night  of  the  regatta  would  be  a  busy  one  for  her. 
Hughes,  the  office-boy,  was  madly  in  love  with 
Miss  Thornton,  who  had  charge  of  the  telephone 
switchboard  and  the  news-stand.  This  fact  seemed 
to  both  of  them  a  sufficient  reason  for  deserting 
their  posts  for  others,  within  sight  of  the  hotel  en- 
trance and  hearing  of  the  telephone  bell,  on  the 
invitingly  empty,  moonlit  piazza.  But  Hughes 
speedily  turned  his  back  on  the  view  of  the  en- 
trance, and  the  witty  remarks  of  her  escort,  or 
perhaps  the  music  that  drifted  up  from  the  boat- 
house  and  the  lighted  craft  in  the  harbor,  com- 
pletely diverted  Miss  Thornton's  attention  from  the 
unromantic  tinkle  of  the  telephone. 

So  Hope,  running  down  to  get  a  paper  for  Mrs. 
Augustus  Walker,  took  two  messages  for  guests 
who  were  out  on  the  water.  Coming  back  to 
change  the  paper — Mrs.  Augustus  Walker,  having 
decided  in  the  interval  before  its  delivery  that  a 
News  would  suit  her  better  than  a  Mirror — Hope 
noticed  a  young  man  standing  uncertainly  in 
front  of  the  deserted  office  desk.  Hope  consid- 
ered. She  had  no  idea  where  Hughes  was.  The 
other  girls  who  were  supposed  to  be  on  duty  were 
not  to  be  seen.  If  she  delayed  in  delivering  the 
Mirror,  Mrs.  Augustus  Walker  would  certainly 

268 


THAT   FATAL    REGATTA 

change  her  mind  again  about  it.  So,  "  I'll  be 
back  in  just  a  minute,"  she  called  to  the  perplexed 
figure  by  the  office,  and  darted  off,  hoping  that 
Mrs.  Augustus  Walker  would  let  her  fulfil  her 
promise  literally. 

Hurrying  back  without  very  much  delay,  Hope 
found  the  office  enclosure  still  empty  and  the  boy 
still  waiting  patiently  beside  it. 

"  Has  a  telegram  come  for  Lawrence,  Halcyon 
Inn  ?  "  he  demanded,  as  soon  as  Hope  appeared. 

"  I'll  see."  Hope  ran  through  the  little  pile  of 
telegrams  on  the  file. 

"  Nothing  yet,"  she  assured  him  pleasantly. 
"  Did  Mr.  Lawrence  ask  you  to  come  up  and  see?" 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  boy  easily.  "  It's  our  tele- 
gram— that  is,  it's  my  mother's.  It's  really  a  cable. 
That's  her  cable  address — Lawrence.  We  live  out 
on  the  Point,  but  she  ordered  the  message  wired 
here  to  save  time.  We  haven't  a  telephone  out 
at  our  cottage,  and  she  thought  they  probably 
wouldn't  bother  to  send  a  boy  before  morning. 
Do  they  mind — the  Inn  people,  I  mean  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,"  Hope  assured  him  politely,  and 
suddenly  spied  a  tiny  green  feather  in  his  hat- 
band. Could  he  be  the  Green  Knight?  Law- 
rence— his  mother's  cable  address.  Did  one  use 
one's  name  for  that  purpose?  Hope  hadn't  much 
idea  what  a  cable  address  was,  but  it  seemed  a 

269 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

queer  thing  to  have,  especially  for  people  who 
didn't  have  a  telephone.  And  queerness  was  the 
family  characteristic.  "  If  you'll  tell  me  where  to 
send  the  message,  I'll  have  it  delivered  from  here 
to-night,"  she  suggested,  thinking  gleefully  that 
the  address  would  clinch  the  boy's  identity. 

But  he  didn't  give  it.  "  I'll  wait  on  the  piazza, 
thank  you,"  he  said  instead.  "  The  telegram  is 
sure  to  come  in  a  short  time,  you  see."  He  hesi- 
tated. "  What's  happening  on  the  bay  to-night?  " 

Hope  explained.  "  That's  why  we're  so  deserted 
up  here.  I  presume  you'd  rather  wait  at  the  boat- 
house." 

"Crickets,  no!"  said  the  boy.  "I'm  not  ex- 
pected. Besides,  I  should  be  sure  to  get  mixed 

up  with No,  I  can't  do  it,  gay  as  it  looks 

down  there,  and  much  as  I  feel  like  gay  doings. 
I'll  wait  on  the  piazza.  Crickets  !  What's  that  ?  " 
as  a  bell  jingled  with  noisy  persistence. 

"  House-bell  service.  Mrs.  Augustus  Walker,  I 
suppose.  If  the  telephone  rings  before  I  get  back, 
would  you  answer  it  ?  It  might  be  your  tele- 
gram." 

"  Sure,  I'll  see  to  it,"  answered  the  boy  pleas- 
antly. 

"Thank  you."  Hope,  having  verified  her  sus- 
picion as  to  the  ownership  of  the  noisy  bell,  darted 
off,  intent  upon  silencing  it,  and  then  finding  the 

270 


THAT   FATAL    REGATTA 

missing  office-force  and  assuring  them  that  she 
really  couldn't  run  the  whole  hotel,  considering 
that  it  contained  Mrs.  Augustus  Walker. 

She  found  that  lady  in  a  state  approaching  hys- 
teria. "  Hope,  where  have  you  been  ?  Where 
are  my  black  pearls  ?  I  told  you  to  bring  them 
straight  to  me,  and  the  next  thing  I  knew  you'd 
vanished." 

Hope  stared  blankly  at  Mrs.  Walker,  who  was 
sitting  up  in  bed,  one  hand  holding  a  purple 
boudoir-cap  much  awry  on  her  head,  and  the 
other  clutching  a  pink  negligee  tightly  around 
her  throat.  Had  Mrs.  Augustus  Walker  gone 
suddenly  crazy,  Hope  wondered  dizzily,  or  had 
she  herself? 

"  Why,  Mrs.  Walker,"  she  began,  after  a  mo- 
ment of  bewildered  hesitation,  "  you  never  asked 
me  to  get  you  anything  like  that.  I  got  you  a 
paper.  Hadn't  you  better  lie  down  ?  " 

"  You  mean  to  say  you  didn't  hear  me  ?  "  de- 
manded Mrs.  Walker  excitedly.  "  But  I  heard 
you  distinctly,  rustling  around  among  my  suffrage 
papers.  I  thought  you'd  decided  to  sit  and  read 
a  little,  as  I  invited  you  to,  the  first  time  I  rang. 
And  when  I  spoke,  you  answered  me.  You  said 
yes,  or  so  I  supposed,  though  it  sounded  more  like 
a  grunt.  And  I  told  you  not  to  mumble  your 
words.  Didn't  you  hear  that  either  ?  " 

271 


NANCY  LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

"  Oh,  I  wasn't  there  I  I  went  straight  down- 
stairs, because  I  had  left  some  one  waiting  in  the 
office." 

"  Then  who You  didn't  go  out  through 

my  sitting-room  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Hope  firmly. 

"Then  who You  get  my  pearls  now — 

top-drawer,  right-hand    corner,   wardrobe  trunk. 
Hurry,  oh,  hurry  !  " 

Hope  hurried.  The  trunk  stuck,  as  it  always 
did  whenever  Hope  had  been  instructed  to  open 
it.  The  drawer  stuck  ;  a  month  of  seaside  damp 
had  swelled  it.  And  when  it  finally  opened,  it 
held  only  a  very  big  purple  bow  and  a  very  small 
bottle  of  smelling  salts.  Hope  wrenched  the 
drawer  loose  and  ran  with  it  to  Mrs.  Walker. 

"Gone!"  cried  that  lady.  "Gone!  I  told 
somebody  to  get  'em,  and  they  did  it.  Another 
robbery  !  "  Clutching  the  pink  negligee  tighter, 
Mrs.  Augustus  Walker  leaped  from  her  bed  to 
the  floor,  and  flinging  open  the  door  chanted 
lustily,  "  Help,  burglars  !  Help,  burglars  I  Boy  I 
Boy !  " 

Mrs.  Walker's  room  was  directly  over  the  office. 

"  Shall  I  come  up  ?  "  called  a  voice  from  below. 

"  No,  send  Mr.  Bliss.  This  is  business  for 
the  proprietor."  Mrs.  Walker  turned  to  Hope. 
"  Switch  on  all  the  lights  !  "  she  cried.  "  Lock  all 

272 


THAT  FATAL    REGATTA 

the  doors  !  He  hasn't  been  gone  from  here  long. 
We  may  catch  him." 

The  loiterers  on  the  piazza  appeared,  attracted 
by  the  shouting.  Miss  Aurelia  Pringle,  discover- 
ing its  tenor,  promptly  fainted.  Old  Mr.  Richard- 
son ran  to  guard  the  front  entrance,  leaving 
Hughes  free  to  watch  at  the  rear.  Up-stairs  Hope 
went  swiftly  down  the  long  corridors,  switching  on 
lights  in  all  the  rooms.  Almost  everywhere  the 
intruder  had  left  his  trail :  bureau  drawers  emp- 
tied, trunks  hastily  unpacked,  closets  ransacked 
and  in  disorder.  On  the  floor  above,  only  a  few 
rooms  appeared  to  have  been  disturbed,  but  Hope 
went  on,  lighting  them  all.  At  the  entrance  to 
the  servants'  wing  she  hesitated  and  started  to 
turn  back,  then  remembered  with  a  start  that  she 
had  left  her  summer's  savings  in  an  envelope  in 
her  wash-stand  drawer.  Mr.  Bliss  and  Miss  Willis 
had  both  paid  her  that  afternoon,  and  a  foolish  de- 
sire to  see  all  her  little  hoard  together  had  made 
her  ask  Hughes  to  give  her  her  envelope  out  of 
the  hotel  safe.  Before  she  got  it  back,  the  regatta 
excitement  had  begun,  and  she  had  stuck  the  pre- 
cious envelope  in  the  first  hiding-place  that  sug- 
gested itself. 

"But  no  burglar  would  go  back  there,"  she 
thought.  "  We  have  nothing  worth  stealing. 
Only  maybe  he  wouldn't  know  where  the  wait- 

273 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

resses  sleep.  And  he  might  easily  try  to  get  out 
that  way."  This  last  idea  furnished  Hope  with 
the  necessary  excuse  for  looking  after  her  money. 

There  were  no  lights  to  switch  on  in  the  narrow 
back-hall.  Fearlessly,  in  spite  of  her  pretext  for 
being  there,  Hope  felt  her  way  to  her  own  door 
and  then  over  to  the  corner  where  her  match-box 
hung.  She  had  just  found  it  when  a  shadow 
dodged  out  of  the  next  corner  and  swept  past  her. 
Hope  reached  frantically  after  it,  and  caught  an 
arm,  hung  on  for  a  minute,  felt  the  arm  slipping 
away  and  made  a  final  clutch  at  a  hand  that  a 
minute  later  had  swung  out  at  her  and  knocked 
her  back  hard  against  the  wall.  Staggering  for- 
ward, she  saw  the  figure — a  mere  shadow — vanish 
down  the  steep  back-stairs.  Hope  put  her  head 
out  the  window  and  shouted  down  into  the  dark- 
ness :  "  He's  coming  out  the  back  way.  He's 
coming  !  The  burglar  !  " 

"  Right-oh  I  "  somebody  called  back.  There 
was  the  crashing1  of  a  heavy  body  through  the 
shrubbery,  a  shout,  then  disappointed  silence. 

"  Perhaps  the  policeman  will  get  him  at  the 
corner.  He's  been  notified,"  suggested  some- 
body. 

So  no  one  had  caught  him  here.  Hope  lighted 
her  lamp,  noticed,  almost  without  caring,  that  her 
money  was  gone,  and  went  wearily  down  to  the 

274 


THAT   FATAL    REGATTA 

office.  Hughes  was  back  in  his  place,  and  Miss 
Thornton,  the  picture  of  dutiful  attention  to  her 
task,  bent  over  her  switchboard. 

"  I  say,  Miss  Haskins,  you  won't  tell  onus?" 
she  pleaded,  as  Hope  passed. 

"  You'll  keep  quiet  about  where  we  were  ? " 
begged  the  boy.  "  It  wouldn't  have  made  any 
difference " 

"  Crickets  !  "  The  three  looked  up  to  see  a  drip- 
ping figure  standing  in  the  door.  "  Has  he  come 
— the  manager,  I  mean?  He  almost  drowned 


me " 


It  was  the  boy  who  wanted  his  mother's  tele- 
gram— probably  the  Green  Knight. 

Just  then  Mr.  Bliss  came  hurrying  down  from 
an  interview  with  Mrs.  Walker. 

"  What  do  you  want  here  ?  "  he  asked  brusquely 
of  the  strange  boy. 

The  boy  explained. 

"  Well,  it's  come,"  called  Miss  Thornton,  anxious 
to  appear  efficient.  "  Jock  o'  Dreams  a  winner. 
Best  terms  arranged  for  England.  Congratulations. 
Morris,"  she  read  from  the  yellow  slip. 

"Thanks,"  called  the  boy.  "I'm  too  wet  to 
come  in  after  it,  but  I  can  remember.  Did  the 
manager  get  here  all  right  ?  He  almost  drowned 
me " 

"  I'm  the  manager,"  snapped  Mr.  Bliss,  "  and  I 

275 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

never  saw  you  before.  What  do  you  mean  by  say- 
ing I  nearly  drowned  you  ?  " 

"  I  never  saw  you  before  either,"  said  the  boy 
pleasantly.  "  The  man  who  said  he  was  the 
manager  was  taller  and  slimmer  than  you.  Other- 
wise it  was  too  dark  to  see.  Did  you  get  the 
burglar  ?  " 

"  Before  we  go  into  that,"  said  the  manager 
curtly,  "  suppose  you  finish  telling  me  how  you 
got  so  wet." 

The  boy  nodded.  "  One  thing  at  a  time,"  he 
agreed  sagely.  "  Why," — he  turned  to  Hope, — "  I 
was  waiting  down  here  for  a  telegram.  You  know 
about  that.  When  the  old  lady  up-stairs  called,  I 
asked  if  I  should  come  up  and  she  said  no,  find 
the  manager."  He  nodded  at  Hope  again.  "  You 
heard  us  calling  back  and  forth.  Well,  I  went. 
Down  at  the  wharf  a  man  was  just  coming  in  in  a 
boat — or  he  might  have  been  going  out.  I  asked 
if  he  knew  where  the  Inn  manager  was,  and  he 
said  he  was  the  manager,  so  I  told  him  what  had 
happened.  First  he  said,  '  Get  in  and  we'll  row 
up.'  But  I  said,  '  You're  excited.  We're  as  near 
as  we  can  get  now.  This  is  the  Inn  dock.'  And 
then  he  said,  '  So  it  is.  Take  my  oars,  will  you, 
while  I  jump  out  ?  '  Well,  I  reached  for  the  oars, 
and  he  was  so  excited  that  he  let  the  boat  slip 
back  and  I  was  pulled  in.  It's  a  job  to  swim  in 

276 


THAT   FATAL    REGATTA 

all  your  clothes.  Still,"  added  the  boy  pleasantly, 
"  I  didn't  blame  him  for  not  stopping  to  help  me 
out,  under  the  circumstances.  But  you  say  he 
wasn't  the  manager  ?  " 

"  And  who  are  you  ?  "  demanded  Mr.  Bliss,  dis- 
regarding the  question. 

"  I'm  Lawrence  Masters,  Junior,"  answered  the 
boy  promptly,  "  spending  the  summer  with  my 
mother,  Mrs.  Lawrence  Masters,  out  at  the  cottage 
called  '  Fair  Acre/  on  ther  Point." 

"  I  see."  Mr.  Bliss's  curt  manner  had  vanished. 
"  Sorry  you  got  wet  trying  to  help  us.  You'd 
better  cut  for  home,  hadn't  you  ?  Here's  your 
telegram.  We  may  call  on  you  later  to  help  with 
the  identification  of  our  burglar." 

"  But  I  didn't  see "  began  the  boy. 

"  You  heard,"  smiled  Mr.  Bliss. 

"That's  so,"  laughed  the  boy.  "Maybe  that 
might  help.  Good-night,  sir." 

Mr.  Bliss  stepped  quickly  to  the  office-boy. 
"  Follow  that  fellow,"  he  ordered  softly.  "  Don't 
lose  him.  If  he  goes  to  the  '  Fair  Acre '  place, 
watch  there  till  you're  relieved.  Annex  a  Point 
policeman  if  you  have  a  chance.  Miss  Thornton, 
call  up  that  detective  agency.  Tell  'em  to  send 
out  their  very  best  men  on  the  double-quick.  Is 
Jock  o'  Dreams  a  horse,  I  wonder  ?  It's  a  little 
late  in  the  season  for  the  big  English  races." 

277 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Bliss  !  "  Hope's  eyes  were  big  with 
fright  and  unhappiness  and  a  sense  of  her  terrible 
responsibility.  "  Oh,  Mr.  Bliss,  that  boy  isn't  the 
burglar.  He  came  for  his  mother's  telegram,  just 
as  he  said.  The  burglar  has  soft,  long  hands,  but 
that  boy's  are  hard  and  broad  ;  and  his  coat  is 
smooth,  not  fuzzy  like  that  boy's.  I  had  hold  of 
his  hand  and  arm.  Oh,  I'm  sorry  I  couldn't  hold 
tighter  I  But  I  do  know  that  this  boy  is  all  right." 

"  Ever  hear  of  accomplices,  little  girl  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  responded  Hope  quickly.  "  But  this 
boy  ran  right  off  to  get  you." 

"  He  ran  right  off,"  agreed  Mr.  Bliss,  "  on  a 
fool's  errand,  and  he  comes  back — after  the  burglar's 
escape — with  a  cock-and-bull  story  he  can't  prove. 
It's  up  to  the  detectives,  but  my  impression  is  that 
the  Masters  family  at  '  Fair  Acre '  will  bear  watch- 
ing. By  the  way,  Miss  Haskins,  Mrs.  Walker  ex- 
onerates you  of  all  blame." 

"  Oh,  I  do  thank  her  for  that !  "  cried  Hope 
eagerly.  "  Because  I'm  afraid  I  ran  away  while 
she  was  still  talking,  and  that  might  have  misled 
her  into  thinking  I  was  there.  I  lost  forty-nine 
dollars  myself,  Mr.  Bliss." 

"  You  did  I  "  Mr.  Bliss  was  duly  sympathetic. 
"  Those  pearls  were  worth  four  thousand,  Mrs. 
Walker  says.  There's  no  telling  to-night  what 
else  is  gone.  Oh,  here  they  come  !  " 

278 


THAT   FATAL    REGATTA 

The  rumor  of  the  Inn  robbery  had  sped  from  the 
boat-house  out  over  the  bay,  and  the  guests  were 
hurrying  up,  in  a  clamorous,  frightened  crowd  to 
see  what  they  had  lost.  Hope  watched  them 
sadly,  wishing  she  could  have  caught  the  burglar 
for  them.  But  they  were  inclined  to  make  a 
heroine  of  her  for  her  unsuccessful  attempt,  and  to 
divide  the  blame  between  Mr.  Bliss  and  the  Point 
police  service. 

"  I'm  the  man  you  ought  to  hate  most  cordially," 
she  heard  Mr.  Ellis  telling  a  bevy  of  ladies.  "  I'm 
to  blame  for  clearing  the  house  out  to-night  and 
so  giving  the  fellow  his  chance." 

"  Did  you  lose  anything,  Mr.  Ellis?  "  somebody 
asked. 

"  I  really  haven't  looked  yet,"  returned  that 
gentleman.  "  Nothing  of  value,  I  dare  say.  A 
man  doesn't  scatter  his  valuables  about  as  you 
ladies  do." 

"  Whose  boat  were  you  in  to-night,  Mr.  Ellis?" 
demanded  Louise  Minot. 

"  Er — I  was  at  the  boat-house,"  Mr.  Ellis  ex- 
plained drawlingly. 

"  You  never  asked  me  to  dance,"  pouted  Louise. 

"  I  didn't  dance,  Miss  Minot.  I  was  a  bit  fagged 
with  all  my  arrangements,  you  see.  Just  sat  in 
the  cool  and  enjoyed  life.  Didn't  realize  what  a 
bad  job  I'd  put  up  on  you  all." 

279 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  He  looks  awfully  hot  now,"  reflected  little 
Hope.  "  I  suppose  he's  excited.  I  wonder  how 
he  got  his  trouser-leg  wet."  With  a  little  shiver- 
ing sigh  Hope  trudged  wearily  off  to  bed. 


280 


CHAPTER  XVI 

CATCHING  AN  EEL 

MRS.  AUGUSTUS  WALKER'S  four-thousand-dollar 
pearls  had  been  seen  on  suffrage  platforms  in  every 
American  metropolis.  Mrs.  Walker  regarded 
them  as  a  mascot  for  the  cause,  and  her  attack  of 
nerves  grew  more  acute  as  the  days  went  by  with- 
out their  reappearance.  But  it  was  not  Mrs. 
Walker's  loss  but  Hope's,  naturally,  that  fairly 
brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  Nancy  and  Christina, 
and  set  the  less  sentimental  Jane  ablaze  with 
righteous  indignation. 

"  It's  a  shame !  A  burning  shame ! "  Jane 
declared  hotly.  "  Even  a  burglar  ought  to  have 
some  decent  feelings.  He  must  have  known  that 
poor  little  room  was  servants'  quarters.  And  yet 
he  risked  being  found  to  prowl  around  there  a 
while  longer  and  get  a  few  extra  dollars." 

"  Perhaps  he  was  just  hanging  around,  waiting 
for  a  good  chance  to  run,"  suggested  Christina 
charitably.  "  And  I  suppose  they  feel  that  they 
have  to  use  their  time  to  advantage.  It's  a  sort 
of  business  like  any  other." 

281 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  And  it  has  rules  of  fair  conduct  like  any  other," 
amended  Jane.  "  If  I  thought  that  Lawrence 
who-are-you-Masters,  Jr.,  had  anything  to  do  with 
a  mean,  sneaking,  small,  outrageous,  underhanded 
person  like  this  burglar,  I — I'd " 

"  But  he  hasn't,"  objected  Nancy. 

Jane  shook  her  head  gloomily.  "  Every  one 
else  thinks  that  he  has,  or  that  his  mother  has. 
It  does  look  fishy, — all  that  talk  about  a  cable  and 
then  the  drowning  episode.  It's  easy  to  say  that 
the  burglar  pushed  Lawrence  into  the  water,  but 
why  on  earth  should  he  ?  He  could  easily  have 
promised  to  go  and  find  the  manager  himself,  and 
so  have  avoided  a  scene.  I  met  Johnny  Andrews 
just  now  down  at  the  mail-box,  and  he  discouraged 
me  dreadfully.  He  was  feeling  very  gay  himself, 
because  one  of  the  real  detectives  has  told  him  that 
as  you  grow  older  you  just  naturally  get  over  the 
habit  of  sleeping  so  soundly." 

"  Hadn't  the  real  detective  anything  more  to 
the  point  to  tell  him  ?  "  demanded  Nancy. 

"  No,"  Jane  reported.  "  He  says  they  haven't 
seen  anything  wrong  at  '  Fair  Acre.'  Hope's  soft- 
handed,  long-fingered  man  has  vanished  from 
these  parts,  leaving  only  that  one  insufficient 
clew.  Lawrence  Junior  has  dug  as  usual,  from 
daybreak  to  a  civilized  breakfast  hour,  near  Judge 
Smith's  barns.  Mrs.  Lawrence,  Senior,  has  wan- 

282 


CATCHING    AN   EEL 

dered  around  the  garden  a  lot  and  she's  stopped 
wearing  her  green  veil.  There's  nothing  sus- 
picious in  that — the  suspicious  thing  was  to  wear 
it." 

"  I  don't  think  detective  work  is  very  interest- 
ing," sighed  Nancy.  "  You  never  seem  to  get  any- 
where." 

"  And  you  have  to  be  so  careful,"  added  Chris- 
tina, "  not  to  let  the  ones  you're  detecting  see 
what  you  want." 

Jane  arose,  the  light  of  inspiration  in  her  eyes. 
"  Good-bye,"  she  said.  "  I'm  going  out  on  Baxter's, 
I  guess, — alone — to  think.  While  I'm  gone,  you 
two  be  thinking  here." 

"  What  about,  Jane  ? "  demanded  Christina 
practically. 

"  A  way  to  earn  back  Hope's  money  for  her," 
said  Jane.  "  Isn't  that  our  next  job  ?  " 

"  We  never  can  decide  on  anything  without  you, 
Jane,"  protested  Nancy.  "  All  our  ideas  will  seem 
silly  compared  to  what  you'll  just  jump  at  in  a 
second." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  Jane  resignedly. 
"  Think  about  the  weather,  or  don't  think  at  all. 
You  can't  come  with  me,  if  that's  what  you're 
driving  at,  because  what  I'm  going  to  do  I  can  do 
best  by  myself." 

"  What  you're  going  to  do  ?  "  demanded  Nancy. 

283 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  That's  what  I  said,"  Jane  returned,  and  started 
off  down  the  path  to  Lighthouse  Road. 

Christina  looked  after  her  soberly.  "  She  gen- 
erally wants  me,"  said  the  small  twin  with  a  sigh. 
"  Sh«  must  be  thinking  of  something  wonderful, 
to  act  like  that." 

What  Jane  was  thinking  of  was  :  how  to  catch 
an  eel.  The  Lawrence  boy  was  the  eel.  Johnny 
Andrews  had  told  her,  along  with  other  scraps  of 
assorted  information,  that  the  Green  Knight  had 
finished  digging,  been  home  for  breakfast,  and  gone 
off  to  Baxter's  Reef.  Jane  was  going  to  Baxter's 
Reef.  She  was  going  to  find  out  whether  the 
Green  Knight  was  the  Inn  burglar's  accomplice. 
She  was  going  to  see  how  he  felt  about  Hope's 
money.  The  others  were  all  roundabout  in  their 
efforts ;  Jane  intended  to  go  straight  to  the  point. 
But  first  she  must  catch  her  eel,  and  having  failed 
at  that  sundry  times  before,  she  had  an  unwonted 
lack  of  confidence  in  her  ability  to  succeed  this 
time. 

So  she  hurried  very  fast  along  the  road  to  the 
causeway,  thinking,  as  she  went,  of  various  plans 
for  making  the  queer  boy  stop  and  talk  to  her.  If 
she  could  once  get  near  him  on  the  Reef,  Jane  felt 
she  could  rely  on  opening  the  conversation  in  a 
way  to  pique  his  interest  and  make  him  stop  a  few 
moments,  at  least,  to  listen. 

284 


CATCHING    AN   EEL 

She  did  not  meet  him  on  the  road  ;  the  causeway 
was  deserted.  Jane  hopped  along  from  one  dry 
stone  to  another,  scanning  the  big  rock  between 
hops.  Nobody  to  be  seen  there,  either;  but  of 
course  the  boy  would  be  out  on  the  ocean  side. 
Gaining  the  top,  with  high  hopes  for  the  success  of 
her  enterprise,  Jane  was  bitterly  disappointed  to 
find  this  side  of  the  reef,  also,  deserted.  Slowly 
she  crept  down  the  sloping  rocks.  There  was  no- 
body else  out  there.  Dejectedly  she  sat  down  in  a 
sheltered  nook,  gazing  idly  out  at  sea.  Suddenly 
she  jumped  up.  Almost  at  her  elbow,  just  around 
the  corner  of  a  jutting  crag,  somebody  had  begun 
to  whistle.  When  Jane  jumped,  the  whistling 
ceased  abruptly,  and  a  low  voice  that  seemed  to 
come  straight  out  of  the  rock  said,  "  Crickets  ! " 
A  minute  later  the  Green  Knight's  head  and 
shoulders  wriggled  up  through  a  crack  in  the  cliff. 
"  Hello  I  "  said  the  Green  Knight  sociably.  "  Sorry 
I  scared  you.  I'm  exploring  an  underground  pas- 
sage. It's  pretty  narrow  at  this  end."  He 
wriggled  a  little  further  out  of  the  crevice. 

"  You  didn't  really  scare  me,"  said  Jane,  grin- 
ning down  at  her  literally  trapped  eel.  "  Want 
me  to  pull  you  out? " 

"  If  you'd  just  give  me  a  hand  up,"  said  the  boy, 
"  I  could  sort  of  walk  out  by  some  footholds  there 
are  on  the  side." 

285 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

11  All  right."  Holding  to  a  point  of  rock  behind 
her  with  one  hand,  Jane  held  out  the  other  to  the 
boy.  "  And  when  you're  rested  you  must  show 
me  where  the  passage  begins.  I  love  secret  passages 
and  caves  and  things  like  that." 

"  There's — a — dandy — cave,"  panted  the  boy, 
struggling  up  from  the  passage-end,  "  over  on  those 
rocks  off  there."  He  pointed  to  a  cliff  down  the 
shore.  "  But  you  can't  get  there  except  at  dead 
low  tide.  I'll  show  you  some  time.  Let's  sit  down 
here — unless  you'd  rather  go  further  down." 

"  No,  I  like  it  here,"  gasped  Jane.  The  elusive 
Green  Knight  was  actually  pressing  his  society 
upon  her  !  He,  not  she,  was  arranging  their  inter- 
view, and  planning  excursions  for  the  future. 

"  You  see,"  said  the  boy,  as  if  reading  his  com- 
panion's thoughts,  "  I'm  going  to  have  some  fun 
after  to-day — that  is,  if  I  have  any  luck  this  after- 
noon. Wish  me  success  !  " 

"  Why,  yes,  of  course  I  do,"  said  Jane,  resolved 
not  to  ask  questions  until  she  had  switched  the 
conversation  around  to  the  topic  she  was  most  in- 
terested in. 

"  Not  that  I  haven't  had  fun  so  far,"  the  boy 
went  on.  "  When  you're  playing  around  alone 
you  find  out  lots  of  things  and  get  interested  in 
lots  of  things  that  you  never  bothered  about  before. 
I  haven't  minded  it  as  much  as  my  mother  did. 

286 


CATCHING   AN   EEL 

But  then  she  doesn't  care  for  exploring  as  I  do, 
and  she  had  to  wear  that  veil.  I  say,  you  have 
awfully  jolly  times  at  the  Lees',  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Rather  !  "  agreed  Jane  enthusiastically. 

"  They  asked  me  to  come  there,  the  day  I  helped 
your  friend  home,"  said  the  boy,  "  and  I'm  going 
as  soon  as  I  can — to-morrow,  if  my  luck  holds  this 
afternoon." 

Jane  saw  a  chance  to  switch  the  conversation  and 
used  it.  "  We're  interested  in  nothing  but  the  Inn 
burglary  now,"  she  said.  "  An  awfully  nice  girl 
at  the  Inn,  a  friend  of  ours,  lost  all  the  money  she 
had  saved  by  working  there  this  summer." 

"  She  did  !  What  a  shame  I  "  cried  the  boy. 
"  So  there  really  was  a  robbery.  I  thought  the 
comical  old  lady  was  the  only  one  who  lost  any- 
thing, and  I  had  an  idea  that  she'd  find  her  jewelry 
after  a  while  just  where  she  left  it.  So  it  was  a  real 
robbery,  was  it?" 

"  Of  course  it  was,"  Jane  assured  him.  "  Why, 
the  girl  who  lost  the  money  had  hold  of  the  bur- 
glar for  a  minute.  If  the  men  down-stairs  had 
been  as  brave  as  she,  I  don't  believe  he'd  have  got 
away." 

"  I  say,"  cried  the  boy,  "  I  wasn't  very  keen, 
was  I  ?  I  suppose  he  was  the  fellow  who  splashed 
me  into  the  water.  But  as  I  didn't  know  the 
manager,  I  couldn't  suspect  anything  wrong  at 

287 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

the  time.  I  wonder  if  the  girl  I  talked  to  was 
your  friend." 

Jane  nodded.     "  She  told  us  about  you." 

"  She  seemed  like  a  jolly  sort,"  said  the  Knight. 
"  I  say,  I've  saved  lots  of  allowance  this  summer. 
Spending  money  alone  is  no  fun.  I'm  going  to 
bring  some  of  it  for  you  to  give  to  her,  when  I 
come  to  the  Lees'.  I'll  bet  my  mother  sends 
some  too.  She  can't  bear  to  know  that  people  are 
in  trouble  and  she  not  helping." 

"  Doesn't  she  know  about  the  burglary,  either?" 
asked  Jane. 

"  Crickets,  no !  "  said  the  boy.  "  We  don't 
know  anything  that's  going  on  here.  We're  her- 
mits. We've  been  hermits,  that  is.  She's  through 
now.  She  was  going  to  have  a  garden  party  this 
afternoon  to  celebrate  being  through,  but  none  of 
our  neighbors  could  come." 

Jane  resolved  on  a  bold  stroke.  "  Why  couldn't 
they?"  she  demanded. 

"  Oh,  different  reasons,"  said  the  boy  easily. 
"  Mother  said  she  guessed  they  thought  she  was 
too  queer  to  associate  with.  Being  hermits  does 
make  people  appear  queer." 

"  Well,  you  certainly  appear  queer,"  Jane  burst 
out  upon  him  suddenly.  "  I've  talked  to  you  for 
ten  minutes,  and  you've  mixed  up  so  many  things 
I  don't  know  about  with  a  few  things  I  do  that 

288 


CATCHING   AN   EEL 

I  might  just  as  well  be  doing  a  puzzle-picture. 
Why  don't  you  try  to  act  sensibly  ?  Why  don't 
you  try  to  explain  things  instead  of  mixing  me 
up?"  ' 

"  Why,  I  will  to-morrow,"  said  the  boy  gently. 
"  It  wouldn't  be  playing  the  game  for  me  to  ex- 
plain to-day.  I  expect  it's  not  exactly  according 
to  rules  for  me  even  to  be  talking  to  you  to-day, 
but  after  I'd  startled  you  so  what  could  I  do  ?  I 
didn't  want  to  seem  rude.  I  want  to  come  to  the 
Lees',  you  see,  where  they  have  such  jolly  doings. 
I  liked  that  girl ;  she  was  so  game  when  her  ankle 
ached  like  the  dickens.  Those  three  boys  seem 
like  a  good  sort,  too,  and  if  there's  one  game  I'm 
fond  of  it's  tennis." 

With  as  much  dignity  as  she  could  command, 
Jane  scrambled  to  her  feet.  "I  must  be  going 
now,"  she  said. 

The  boy  jumped  up  too.  "  I'll  show  you  the 
passage,"  he  volunteered. 

"  I'm  afraid  I  haven't  time  now,"  said  Jane 
stiffly. 

"  Shucks  I  "  objected  the  boy.  "  It's  right  on 
your  way." 

"  No,  thank  you,"  said  Jane,  starting  off. 

Solemnly  the  boy  stared  after  her,  then  swiftly 
followed.  "  I  say,"  he  began,  "  you  think  I'm  too 
queer  to  associate  with,  don't  you  ?  " 

289 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  Maybe  I  do,"  agreed  Jane,  without  turning 
her  head. 

"  But  there's  nothing  wrong  in  being  queer,"  he 
declared.  "  I  s'pose  we  are  queer,  my  mother  and 
I,  but " 

"Nothing  wrong,  unless "  Jane  shrugged 

meaningly. 

"  Unless  what  ?  "  challenged  the  Green  Knight 
with  determination. 

"  Why,  unless  there  is  something  wrong,  of 
course."  Jane's  air  was  suddenly  superior. 
"  Queer  people  sometimes  have  queer  reasons  for 
telling  queer  stories  and  doing  queer  things,  and 
for  keeping  themselves  out  of  the  way  and  not 
showing  their  faces." 

"  Not  showing  their  faces  ?  "  repeated  the  boy. 
"  Oh,  you  mean  the  green  veil.  That's  the  cream 
of  the  whole  joke,  that  veil.  I  thought  of  it,  and 
my  mother  has  needed  it  several  times,  I  can  tell 
you.  But  if  you  mean  you  think  my  mother  is  a 
suspicious  character,  because  we've  been  playing 
hermit  so  hard,  you're  most  awfully  mistaken. 

Why,  my  mother  is "  The  boy  broke  off 

suddenly.  "  She's  told  me  never  to  say  that. 
And  I  promised  myself  solemnly,  cross  my  heart, 
not  to  tell  a  soul  about  what  we  were  doing  till 
we'd  finished.  I  won't  finish  till  to-morrow — if  I 
have  luck.  Still,  rather  than  have  anybody 

290 


CATCHING   AN   EEL 

thinking  ugly  things  about  my  mother,  I'll  tell 
you  anything  you  want  to  know."  Jane's  rapid 
pace  had  brought  them  by  this  time  across  the 
causeway.  "  Come  back  on  the  rock  and  sit  down 
and  fire  your  questions." 

"  Tell  me  here,"  demanded  Jane  coolly. 

Just  at  this  critical  moment  a  figure  strolled 
into  view  down  the  bushy  path  to  the  cause- 
way and  confronted  Jane  and  her  escort :  a  tall, 
slender  man,  with  slender,  white,  long-fingered 
hands. 

Seeing  the  two,  he  raised  his  hat  to  Jane  and 
called  out  to  the  boy,  "  Good-morning,  Masters  I 
I  caught  an  early  train  from  town  because  I  find 
I  must  be  back  again  this  afternoon.  So  if  we  can 
get  our  business  over  by  lunch-time,  it  will  suit 
me,  and  your  mother  thought  it  might  suit  you 
too." 

"  Yes,  sir.  Of  course,  I'll  come  right  back  with 
you."  He  turned  to  Jane.  "  I'm  sorry  I  can't 
stop,"  he  told  her.  "  But  it's  all  right.  I  can  ex- 
plain everything  when  I  see  you  again.  Wish  me 
success,  so  I  can  begin  having  fun  to-morrow." 

Ignoring  the  frigidity  of  Jane's  bow,  the  Knight 
waved  her  the  gayest  of  good-byes  and  sprang  up 
the  bank  to  join  the  strange  man,  who  was  tall 
and  slender  and  who  had  long,  white,  undoubt- 
edly soft  hands. 

291 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Slowly  Jane  climbed  the  bank  to  the  road. 
Gloomily  she  trudged  home.  She  had  launched 
her  bold  stroke,  and  it  had  failed.  Worse  than 
that,  she  found  her  faith  in  the  Green  Knight 
badly  shaken.  Why  hadn't  he  been  plain  and 
straightforward  with  her  from  the  first?  Then 
the  opportune  interruption — by  the  man  with  the 
long,  white  hands.  That  was  certainly  suspi- 
cious. And  if  the  Knight  and  his  mother  were 
crooks  and  mixed  up  with  the  Inn  robbery  and 
the  earlier  one  at  the  Parke  cottage,  why,  Jane 
had  warned  them.  She  had  let  the  Knight  know 
they  were  distrusted.  They  would  be  on  their 
guard  now.  Jane  longed  to  tell  the  boys  about 
her  glimpse  of  the  strange  man,  but  that  would 
involve  telling  them  also  how  she  had  muddled 
things  in  her  interview  with  the  Green  Knight. 
She  decided  to  tell  nobody  what  had  happened — 
not  even  Christina. 

"  Well,  Miss  Jane  Learned,"  Nancy  hailed  the 
wanderer  as  her  lagging  steps  approached  the 
Birdcage,  "  if  you've  thought  about  as  many 
things,  besides  the  weather  and  nothing  at  all,  as 
we  have,  you've  been  busy." 

"  Haven't  thought  of  anything."  Jane  dropped 
into  her  favorite  chair.  "  Sun  made  my  head 
ache." 

"  Oh,  you  poor  thing ! "  Christina's  resent- 

292 


CATCHING   AN  EEL 

ment  at  Jane's  reserve  with  her  was  instantly 
forgotten. 

"  Well,  what  have  you  decided  ?  "  asked  Jane 
briskly,  to  forestall  any  questions  about  her 
walk. 

"  Lots  of  things,"  returned  Nancy.  "  First,  that 
we're  going  to  do  it — earn  back  Hope's  money.  I 
mean  every  single  cent  of  it.  And  if  we  get  any 
extra,  it's  to  be  for  the  Rocky  Neck  children's 
Christmas.  The  Rocky  Neck  children  are  yours 
and  Christina's  case,  you  know,  Jane.  So  of 
course  you  want  them  looked  out  for." 

"  And  we're  going  to  have  something  that  seems 
like  Hope,  Jane,"  chimed  in  Christina.  "  Some- 
thing sparkly  and  fascinating — like  her  eyes,  you 
know.  Now  do  you  think  we'd  better  ask  Alex- 
andra and  Cecilia  and  Louise  Minot  to  help  ? 
It's  going  to  be  lots  of  work  to  earn  so  much 
money." 

"  And  we've  got  to  hurry  like  anything,"  put 
in  Nancy,  "  because  the  f£te  at  the  Inn  is  next 
week  Saturday.  Our  little  thing  would  seem  like 
a  tag- end  after  that." 

"And  just  what  is  ours  going  to  be? "asked 
Jane  casualty,  as  if  she  had  known  all  about  it 
once  but  had  forgotten  some  details. 

"  Oh,  you  know,  Jane,"  answered  Nancy 
quickly.  "  Something  queer  and  fascinating  and 

293 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 
sparkly — like  Hope's  eyes  and  her  gulps  of  happi- 


ness." 


"  Um,"  assented  Jane  absently.  "  Then  it  ought 
to  have  mermaids  in  it  and  starfish  in  waving  sea- 
pools  and  moonlit  ripples  on  the  water." 

"  But  you  can't  have  things  like  that,  Jane," 
protested  Christina. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  objected  Jane  lazily. 
"  Maybe  we  could.  Then  there  ought  to  be  some 
little,  brave,  bright,  jolly,  unexpected  things,  be- 
cause that's  like  Hope,  too.  And  an  owl,  of 
course — we  can  have  the  owl  for  an  oracle,  to  tell 
people's  fortunes."  Jane  smiled  reflectively.  "  I 
suppose  we'd  better  let  Cecilia  help.  Alexandra 
ought  to  be  a  Summer  Girl — Hope  loves  fluffy 
summer  girls.  And  we  ought  to  interest  Miss 
Willis  and  Judge  Smith  and  the  Dales,  of  course. 
So  we  can't  very  well  ignore  your  next-door  neigh- 
bor, Nancy." 

"And  what  shall  we  call  it,  Jane?"  asked 
Nancy,  an  odd  note  of  eagerness  in  her  voice. 

"  Summer-by-the-Sea,"  responded  Jane  without 
an  instant's  hesitation.  "  Really  it  will  be  Hope's 
summer  by  the  sea,  you  understand,  with  the 
troubles  left  out,  because  troubles  aren't  enter- 
taining. I  hope  the  boys  will  take  an  interest, 
and  I  think  they  will,  because  they  admire  Hope 
so  for  chasing  the  burglar.  Don't  you  think 

294 


CATCHING   AN   EEL 

Johnny  Andrews  would  make  a  lovely  sprawly 
starfish  ?  "  Jane  had  been  staring  in  front  of  her 
as  she  talked.  Now  she  turned  her  near-sighted 
gaze  upon  Nancy  just  in  time  to  intercept  her 
hostess  in  the  act  of  silently  clapping  her  hands, 
while  she  smiled  triumphantly  at  Christina,  who 
was  looking  very  down-hearted. 

"  Thanks  for  your  applause,"  said  Jane  calmly. 
"  Make  it  as  loud  as  you  like.  I  feel  that  I  de- 
serve it.  I've  planned  this  whole  affair  for  you, 
starting  from  a  few  general  and  perfectly  obvious 
suggestions." 

"  There  !  "  cried  Christina  joyously.  "  I  said  we 
couldn't  fool  you  into  thinking  we'd  planned  it, 
and  Nancy  said  we  could.  Go  and  make  lemon- 
ade for  the  crowd,  Nancy  !  " 

Nancy  rose,  pouting.  "  Of  course  I  spoiled  it 
all  by  clapping  too  soon,"  she  sighed. 

"  Not  this  time,  Miss  I-Forgot,"  Jane  assured 
her  comfortingly.  "  I've  been  laughing  up  my 
sleeve  at  you  two  ever  since  I  sat  down  here,  and 
began  listening  to  your  childish  prattle.  You 
can't  fool  Jane  Learned  all  the  time  I  I've  been 
taken  in  once  this — recently,  and  now  I'm  sitting 
up  straight  and  taking  a  great  deal  of  notice." 

When  Nancy  had  gone  for  the  lemonade,  Jane 
reached  over  and  hugged  her  little  twin  affection- 
ately. "  You're  such  a  comfort,  Christina  dar- 

295 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

ling,"  she  said,  "  because  you  always  believe  in  me. 
I'll  never  go  mooning  off  without  you  again." 

"  No,  don't,  Jane,"  advised  Christina  practi- 
cally, "  because  you  never  remember  to  keep  out  of 
the  hot  sun." 


296 


CHAPTER  XVII 

"  SUMMER-BY-THE-SEA  " 

"  YOU'D  think  that  the  more  people  you  had  to 
help,  the  easier  things  would  be ;  but  they're  much 
harder,"  sighed  Nancy  Lee,  dressing  hurriedly  for 
an  "  afternoon  of  wonder,  mystery,  jollity,  and  ex- 
citement called  Summer- by-the-Sea,"  to  quote  one 
of  the  posters  that  flaunted  from  the  trees  along 
Lighthouse  Road.  Each  poster  was  different  and 
they  were  all  amusing,  having  been  composed  by 
Jane  Learned  and  laboriously  printed  by  Peter 
Little.  Peter  had  shown  real  devotion  to  Hope  by 
plodding  through  all  the  most  stupid  and  monot- 
onous tasks  connected  with  the  entertainment  in 
her  behalf. 

Nobody  outside  the  small  circle  of  Hope's  friends 
knew  that  "  Summer-by-the-Sea  "  was  being  given 
mainly  to  make  good  the  loss  of  her  earnings. 
Hope  herself  had  no  idea  of  it. 

"  She  might  feel  embarrassed  about  coming," 
Nancy  had  decreed,  "  and  she  mustn't  miss  it. 
It  will  be  one  big  gulp  of  joy  for  her,  and  the  sur- 
prise of  getting  the  money  afterward  will  be 
another." 

297 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

So  the  posters  vaguely  mentioned  "  local 
benefits"  ;  and  in  view  of  all  the  promised  attrac- 
tions, nobody  asked  inconvenient  questions. 

Nancy  was  dressing  in  a  corner  of  Josephine's 
room,  for  her  own  had  been  turned  over  to  the  use 
of  what  Josephine  called  "  the  fancy  figures."  It 
was  early,  and  only  one  "  fancy  figure "  had 
appeared,  little  Mrs.  Miggs. 

"  I  allus  like  to  be  on  time,"  she  had  explained 
her  early  arrival.  "  I  do  get  so  flustered  when  I 
have  to  hurry." 

Mrs.  Miggs  was  to  be  the  Owl ;  at  least  she  was 
to  personate  the  bird  of  wisdom  from  two  to  four, 
after  which  Judge  Smith  had  agreed  to  take  her 
place.  Judge  Smith  was  in  the  secret  about 
Hope,  and  he  had  not  hesitated  a  moment  in 
promising  to  do  "  any  fool  thing  you  want  "  to 
help  along  so  good  a  cause. 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Miggs,  who  sat,  costume  in 
hand,  ready  to  don  it  at  the  appointed  hour  and 
take  up  her  abode  in  the  hollow  tree  constructed 
by  the  patient  Peter  for  the  Owl's  nest, — "  Well, 
I've  noticed  that  gen'ally  if  you  want  a  thing  done 
quick  and  easy,  you  go  do  it  alone." 

"  And  then  you  don't  have  to  discuss  it,"  agreed 
Nancy. 

"  Exactly,"  Mrs.  Miggs  added  briskly.  "  But 
of  course  one  person  can't  do  but  just  so  much. 

298 


MY    BALLOONS    AREN  T    HERE 


"SUMMER-BT-T HE-SEA* 

And  then  '  the  more  the  merrier,'  as  the  saying 
goes.  For  instance,  I  shall  have  more  to  look  back 
to,  thinking  I've  worn  the  same  disguise  as  the 
richest  man  in  Halcyon,  than  if  he  wasn't  in  it. 
I  hope  you  ain't  plumb  wore  out,  Miss  Nancy, 
with  all  of  us  draggin'  different  ways." 

"  Oh,  no,"  laughed  Nancy.  "  Jane  said  to  let 
each  thing  manage  itself,  so  I  have.  Besides,  I'm 
not  the  worrying  kind,  you  know,  Mrs.  Miggs. 
I'm  the  careless  kind.  But  I've  tried  hard  to 
think  of  everything  necessary  for  to-day  and  I 
hope  I've  succeeded.  There,  I'm  ready  !  " 

"  You  certainly  look  awful  nice,"  said  Mrs. 
Miggs,  surveying  Nancy  admiringly.  "  What  do 
you  represent  ?  " 

"  Just  myself,"  laughed  Nancy.  "  I  thought 
somebody  would  have  to  fill  in  cracks,  so  that's 
what  I'm  ready  for.  Jane  calls  me  general  man- 
ager, but  I'm  not  that  really.  Let's  go  down  now. 
Do  you  think  lots  of  people  will  come,  Mrs.  Miggs  ?  " 

"  You  couldn't  keep  'em  away,"  declared  the 
little  lady,  hopping  along  by  Nancy's  side.  "  Hav- 
ing a  good  time  is  a  powerful  sight  of  work  for 
most  folks.  They  won't  be  apt  to  miss  all  the 
help  promised  by  Miss  Jane's  posters." 

Down-stairs  there  was  the  bustle  of  final  arrange- 
ments and  last-moment  complications. 

"  My  balloons  aren't  here,  Nancy,"  Cecilia  Green 

299 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

assailed  the  general  manager,  who  preferred  to 
consider  herself  a  filler-in  of  cracks.  "  So  I  have 
nothing  to  do." 

Nancy  manfully  repressed  a  smile.  Cecilia  had 
wanted  to  be  a  mermaid,  until  she  found  that  the 
mermaids'  rocks  were  away  off  at  the  Little  cottage. 
Then  she  had  wanted  to  be  a  sea-anemone,  until 
she  discovered  that  the  Shaw  brothers,  who  had 
originally  been  featured  in  the  sea-garden,  had 
decided  to  dress  as  chefs  and  manage  the  candy 
booth.  After  that  Cecilia  asked  a  great  many 
questions,  heard  that  Louise  Minot  had  suggested 
being  a  balloon-seller,  and  bullied  Louise,  who  had 
light  hair,  out  of  the  part  on  the  plea  that  she 
couldn't  possibly  look  it.  Now,  dressed  in  a 
picturesque  Italian  costume  but  without  her 
balloons,  Cecilia  stood  frowning  glumly  at  Nancy. 

"Why,   let   me   see.     Couldn't  you You 

look  so  pretty,  Cecilia.  Couldn't  you  just  saunter 
around  and  amuse  people,  and  get  them  interested 
in  doing  the  different  things  ?  " 

Cecilia  shrugged  scornfully.  "  No  fun  in  that, 
and  my  costume  wouldn't  have  any  point." 

Nancy  thought  a  minute  longer.  "  Couldn't 
you  help  serve  ice-cream?  They'll  need  more 
waitresses,  I'm  sure.  The  girls  there  are  wearing 
peasant  dresses." 

"  But  that's  so  commonplace,"  sniffed  Cecilia. 

300 


"SUMMER-BT-T HE-SEA* 

Christina  Learned,  who  had  joined  them  in  time 
to  hear  most  of  this  colloquy,  came  loyally  to 
Nancy's  rescue. 

"  You  may  have  my  place  at  the  Lettuce  Patch, 
Cecilia,"  she  offered.  "  Italians  sell  vegetables." 

The  Lettuce  Patch  was  near  the  candy  booth. 
It  was  one  of  Jane's  "  little,  brave,  bright  "  touches 
— a  novel  variety  of  grab-bag.  The  paper  lettuce- 
heads  were  growing  in  a  sand-bed,  and  patrons 
chose  their  own  plants,  each  of  which  had  a  "  sur- 
prise package  "  instead  of  a  root. 

"  Yes,  my  costume  would  be  all  right  for  that," 
agreed  Cecilia  complacently. 

"But  what  will  you  do,  Christina?"  asked 
Nancy  anxiously. 

"  Oh,  I'll  find  plenty  of  things,"  returned  Chris- 
tina, who  was  whole-heartedly  interested  in  the 
success  of  the  afternoon.  "  For  one  I'll  probably 
have  to  make  more  lettuce  plants.  I  don't 
think  we  have  enough,  especially  if  Cecilia  sells 
them." 

"  I  can  sell  lots,"  chimed  in  Cecilia  eagerly.  "  I 
know  so  many  people  here,  somehow — lots  more 
than  Alexandra  does." 

"  But,  Christina,  you  don't  want  to  be  working 
in  the  house " 

Somebody  else  came  running  up  to  the  general 
manager  with  a  tale  of  woe  about  the  ice-cream,  and 

301 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Nancy  had  to  let  Christina  and  Cecilia  settle  their 
own  destinies. 

Mrs.  Miggs  had  been  quite  right  about  the  effect 
of  Jane's  posters  upon  the  population  of  Halcyon. 
Just  as  everybody  who  had  been  asked  to  help  had 
joyously  consented,  and  suggested  friends  who 
would  like  to  help  too,  so  everybody  who  could 
have  been  expected  to  do  so  came  to  behold  the 
glories  of  "  Summer-by-the-Sea,"  and  brought 
others  with  them.  The  mermaids,  down  on  the 
Littles'  rocks,  were  admired  by  thronging  multi- 
tudes. The  sea-gardens,  to  which  one  was  carried 
in  the  Andrews  motor-boat,  with  their  giant 
starfish  and  mammoth  sea-anemones  in  assorted 
colors,  were  so  popular  that  other  boats  had  to  be 
pressed  into  service.  More  ice-cream  was  ordered  in 
hot  haste.  The  gardeners  sold  all  the  flower-sticks 
contributed  by  Miss  Willis  before  three  o'clock,  and 
the  dairy-maids  had  almost  as  good  luck  with  their 
flowers.  The  Lettuce  Patch  was  not  half  big 
enough,  in  spite  of  Christina's  efforts  to  keep  it  re- 
plenished, and  the  Summer  Girls'  dancing  pavil- 
ion-by-courtesy  on  the  tennis-court  was  a  scene  of 
gaiety  all  the  afternoon.  As  for  the  Owl,  you 
couldn't  get  near  the  wise  bird's  lair  without  a 
long  interval  of  patient  waiting  in  line. 

"  But  she's  worth  waiting  for,"  Mrs.  Augustus 
Walker  assured  everybody  loudly.     Mrs.  Walker, 

302 


"SUMMER-BT-THE-SEA* 

who  had  suddenly  decided  that  her  shattered 
nerves  needed  the  tonic  of  social  intercourse,  was 
patronizing  "  Summer-by-the-Sea  "  in  royal  fashion. 
"  She's  so  quick  and  so  clever  !  I  asked  her  about 
my  pearls,  of  course.  '  You  lost  them  through 
your  own  fault,'  she  said,  '  and  you'll  find  soon 
what  became  of  them.'  Now  it  was  my  own  fault, 
but  how  did  she  know  that  ?  I  haven't  felt  called 
upon  to  make  a  laughing-stock  of  myself  by  telling 
that  part  of  the  story.  You  know  I  really  believe 
those  pearls  will  be  found  !  I  thought  it  would  do 
me  good  to  come  down  here  to-day  1  " 

Mrs.  Miggs  was  such  a  success  at  pleasing  the 
crowd  that  Nancy  wished  she  might  keep  at  it  all 
the  afternoon,  especially  as  Judge  Smith  was  mak- 
ing himself  very  useful  as  a  "  barker  "  for  the  sea- 
garden,  where  Clare  was  a  pink  anemone.  But  as 
she  was  afraid  of  arousing  his  irascible  temper  if 
she  suggested  the  change,  she  escorted  him  to  the 
Owl's  nest  at  the  proper  time,  and  there  Mrs.  Miggs, 
before  she  relinquished  the  Owl's  head,  told  his 
fortune. 

"  You're  a  wise  man,"  squeaked  the  Owl,  "  but 
you  ain't  been  for  long.  You've  learned  something 
to  your  advantage  this  summer,  and  you'll  learn 
more  before  it's  gone.  Somebody'll  give  you  a 
lovely  present " 

"  Here  I "  Judge  Smith  interrupted  her  gaily. 

303 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  You're  all  right  so  far,  but  you'd  better  stop. 
Nobody  gives  me  presents  I  Now  wait  a  minute. 
Help  me  into  those  feathers,  and  then  I'll  tell  your 
fortune.  You're  going  to  inherit  a  tidy  bit  of 
money  before  the  summer's  over.  You're  going  on 

a  journey.     You're Upon  my  word,  I  think 

you're  going  to  be  married,  Mrs.  Miggs." 

"  Will  you  hear  that?  "  tittered  Mrs.  Miggs  ex- 
citedly. "  Me  inherit  money  ?  Why,  there  ain't 
a  Miggs  in  the  world  that's  got  a  penny  to  leave,  or 
a  Ferris  either.  I  was  born  a  Ferris.  I  shan't 
worry  about  the  journey  or  the  wedding  till  I  see 
the  money,  Judge  Smith." 

After  that  the  general  manager  had  a  strenuous 
time  of  it.  First  Hope  burned  her  wrist  badly 
with  hot  water  at  the  tea-stand.  Then  Clare  Smith 
fell  off  her  rock  into  the  water,  and  though  she 
could  be  easily  dried  off,  her  sea-anemone  costume 
could  not,  and  she  was  inconsolable  until  Susan 
suggested  that  Billy  find  somebody  to  take  his 
place  in  the  sea-garden,  and  Clare  and  he  get  her 
pony-cart  and  rent  rides  down  the  road  to  the 
children.  Next,  the  girl  who  had  been  washing 
sherbet  glasses  inexplicably  disappeared,  and 
Nancy  set  to  work  at  that  job. 

So  it  was  in  the  kitchen,  bending  over  her  pans 
of  hot  water,  that,  late  in  the  afternoon,  Cecilia 
found  her. 

304 


"SUMMER-BT-THE-SEA* 

"  The  Lettuce  Patch  is  sold  out,"  she  announced, 
looking  in  the  window  at  hot,  hurrying  Nancy. 

"  That's  good,"  said  Nancy  absently.  "  Want  to 
carry  some  of  these  glasses  down  to  the  Bird- 
cage ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Cecilia  briefly,  "  I'm  tired  but  I'll 
find  Peter  for  you.  He's  another  of  these  tireless 
workers." 

Peter  appeared  in  a  minute,  followed  presently 
by  Cecilia.  This  time  she  came  around  to  the 
kitchen  door.  "  I'll  wipe  for  you,"  she  offered. 
"  Peter  says  I'm  an  awful  shirk.  Does — does  Dick 
think  I  am  a  shirk  ?  " 

"  I  never  heard  him  say  so,"  said  Nancy. 

"  Peter  calls  me  a  cheat  too,"  went  on  Cecilia 
calmly.  "  He  said  you  knew  I  cheated  in  the 
tennis-match  with  Christina  Learned." 

"  Oh,  well "  began  Nancy,  dreadfully  em- 
barrassed. 

"  Then  you  did  think  so  I "  Cecilia  had  the 
grace  to  blush  hard.  "  I  thought  of  course  you 
wouldn't  have  asked  me  to  help  to-day,  and  Chris- 
tina certainly  wouldn't  have  given  up  her  place 
to  me,  if  you  agreed  with  Peter."  Cecilia  gave  a 
sigh.  "  I — I  didn't  mean  to  cheat,  Nancy.  Hon- 
estly, when  I  want  to  win  at  tennis,  I  see  the  balls 
the  way  I  want  them  to  be.  Look  here."  Cecilia 
laid  down  her  dish-cloth  and  faced  Nancy  sol- 

305 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

emnly.  "  Will  you  please  tell  me  what  fun  you've 
had  out  of  this  show  ?  You've  run  around  help- 
ing fussy  old  ladies,  and  you've  bandaged  up 
Hope  Haskins,  and  dried  off  that  dreadful  Clare 
Smith,  and  washed  dishes.  You  haven't  danced 
once,  or  had  an  ice,  or  talked  to  any  of  the  boys. 
What's  the  use  ?  " 

"  Why,  just  to  get  things  done,  I  suppose," 
Nancy  suggested  doubtfully.  "  A  lot  of  hard 
work  goes  into  a  thing  like  this — into  anything 
that's  worth  doing — even  into  real  fun." 

"  I  never  thought  about  that,"  said  Cecilia. 
"  Anyhow,  I  always  try  to  get  out  of  the  work. 
So  does  Alexandra,  but  she's  more  polite  about  it, 
so  people  like  her  better.  Tell  me  honestly, 
Nancy,  do  you  really  like  to  work  for  other  people 
the  way  you're  doing  to-day  for  Hope?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  said  Nancy  promptly. 

"  Of  course  it  makes  you  awfully  popular," 
mused  Cecilia. 

"  Oh,  Cecilia  !  "  Nancy  stopped  splashing  to  pro- 
test. "It'snotthat !  It'sjust — oh,  a  feeling  inside." 

Cecilia  sighed.  "  It's  a  feeling  that's  left  out  of 
me,  I'm  afraid.  But  I  do  think  it  was  square  of 
Christina  Learned  to  let  me  have  her  place,  and 
I'm  going  to  tell  her  so.  Peter  says  I  act  as  if  it 
was  the  natural  thing  for  people  to  give  up  things 
I  want." 

306 


"SUMMER-BT-THE-SEA* 

"  Peter's  very  frank,  isn't  he  ?  "  laughed  Nancy. 

"  Well,"  Cecilia  confessed  honestly,  "  I — I 
generally  nag  him  into  it.  Here  he  comes  now. 
Don't  you  ever  tell  him  or  Alexandra  that  I'm  be- 
ginning to  see  that  maybe  I  am  a  shirk  and  self- 
ish and  a  snob  and — oh,  but  I  never  did  mean  to 
be  a  cheat,  Nancy  !  " 

"  Next  time  you'll  see  the  balls  straight,  I'm 
sure,"  said  Nancy  cheerfully,  "  and  I  won't  tell 
them,  of  course.  Just  this  one  tray  more  of 
glasses,  Peter." 

"  I'll  tend  to  those  in  a  few  minutes.  Put  your 
head  close  to  the  screen,  Nancy."  Peter's  manner 
was  full  of  suppressed  excitement.  "  The  Knight's 
here  with  his  mother  and  a  strange  man.  He's 
looking  for  you,  I  think.  Come  right  out." 

"  Oh,  I  can't,  Peter,"  Nancy  objected  sadly. 
"  These  glasses  will  be  needed  in  a  minute, 
and " 

"  I'll  wash  for  a  while,"  volunteered  Cecilia 
abruptly.  "  Go  and  do  what  he  wants  you  to, 
Nancy.  You  might  give  me  a  chance  at  that  good 
feeling,"  she  added  in  a  whisper,  as  Nancy  hesi- 
tated. 

The  Knight  and  his  party  were  having  ices  at 
the  Birdcage.  His  mother  and  the  man — Jane's 
man — were  obviously  enjoying  the  ices  and  the 
Birdcage,  the  crowd  and  the  spirit  of  revelry  that 

307 


NANCY   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

was  abroad.  But  the  Knight  nibbled  his  ice  with 
an  absent  air,  ignored  the  Birdcage,  frowned  at  the 
revelry,  and  scanned  the  crowd  anxiously  for  some 
one  he  could  not  find.  When  Peter  and  Nancy  ap- 
peared he  saw  them  instantly,  and  stooping  to  ex- 
plain to  his  mother  he  went  to  meet  them. 

"  Hello ! "  he  greeted  Peter  cheerfully,  and 
asked  after  Nancy's  ankle. 

"  Which  one?"  inquired  Nancy  demurely. 
"  I've  had  two  sprains,  and  they're  both  well. 
You're  very  slow." 

"  I'm  afraid  your  tall  friend  who's  visiting  you 
thinks  so,"  agreed  the  boy.  "  Is  she  here  ?  " 

"  She's  off  on  the  rocks  being  a  purple  sea- 
anemone,"  explained  Nancy.  "  The  boats  take 
you  over,  if  you  want  to  see  her.  But  I  didn't 
know " 

"  Will  you  tell  her  that  I  didn't  have  any  luck 
that  day,  in  spite  of  her  good  wishes  ?  "  the  boy 
hurried  on  eagerly.  "  But  I'm  hoping  for  better 
fortune  to-morrow.  I  couldn't  help  feeling  that 
my  breaking  the  rules  of  my  game  by  talking  to 
her  that  day  the  way  I  did  was  what  spoiled  my 
chance ;  so  I  haven't  dared  to  come  and  explain 
things  to  her  as  I  promised.  To-day  doesn't  ex- 
actly count  because  I  came  to  please  my  mother. 
Will  you  give  my  message,  and  may  I  come  to  see 
you  after  to-morrow  ?  " 

308 


"SUMMER-BT-T HE-SEA* 

"  Yes,  but  when  did  you  talk  to  Jane  ?  "  began 
Nancy,  when  a  stout  elderly  lady,  a  stranger  who 
had  motored  up  from  some  other  seaside  colony, 
wedged  her  way  between  Nancy  and  the  Knight, 
in  a  determined  effort  to  see  what  was  going  on  in 
the  Birdcage.  Suddenly  she  caught  sight  of  the 
Knight. 

"  Why,  Laurie  Masters  I "  she  cried.  "  You 
here  I  Where's  your  mother  ?  Up  there  ?  Take 
me  to  her  this  instant !  " 

With  a  helpless  look  at  Nancy,  the  Knight  let 
himself  be  propelled  resistlessly  toward  the  Bird- 
cage. Nancy  watched  the  stout  lady  half  smother 
little  Mrs.  Masters  in  an  embrace,  shake  hands 
hurriedly  with  the  strange  man,  and  then,  drag- 
ging Mrs.  Masters  along  with  her,  while  the  man 
and  Lawrence  followed  meekly  in  her  train,  rush 
back  to  her  car. 

"  Some  place  where  we  can  talk — thought  you 
were  in  France — unfriendly  not  to  let  me  know," 
she  was  gasping  breathlessly  as  she  passed  Nancy. 
The  Green  Knight,  to  whom  she  had  unceremo- 
niously handed  her  coat,  her  shopping-bag,  her 
lorgnette,  and  a  huge  bunch  of  sweet-peas  that 
she  had  bought,  stared  straight  ahead,  his  lips  set 
in  an  angry  line.  For  once  in  his  happy-go-lucky 
life  the  Green  Knight  was  distinctly  annoyed. 

"I  say,  Nancy,"  Peter,  who  had  been  among 

309 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

the  crowd,  appeared  at  her  elbow.  "  Who's  the 
fat  old  party  ?  Well,  we  have  her  sized  as  another 
confederate.  When  they  came,  Mrs.  Augustus 
Walker  sent  her  motor  for  the  detectives. 
They've  evidently  got  wind  of  it  somehow.  Did 
you  see  that  fellow's  hands — just  what  Hope  de- 
scribed." 

"  What  I  want  to  know,"  said  Nancy,  "  is  when 
that  boy  ever  talked  to  Jane." 

"  We'll  go  and  ask  the  secretive  sea-flower,"  said 
Peter. 

"  You  go,"  Nancy  told  him.  "  Cecilia  was  so 
sweet  about  the  dishes  that  I'd  better  go  back." 

"  Before  she  turns  sour  again,"  laughed  Peter. 
"  Well,  I'll  report  what  Jane  has  to  say  for  her- 
self." 

Peter  was  back  before  long  in  a  state  of  grand 
excitement.  He  found  Nancy  alone,  Cecilia  hav- 
ing been  summoned  to  help  count  the  money 
from  the  Lettuce  Patch. 

"  Jane  saw  the  same  man,"  he  explained. 
"  Why  she  didn't  tell  us  about  his  hands  passes 
me — some  silly  girl-whim,  I  gathered  from  her 
muddled  explanations.  But  it's  all  right  any- 
how, as  he's  still  here.  The  detectives  think  the 
crowd  will  try  to  make  a  killing  at  the  cottages 
the  night  of  the  Inn  fair.  We're  going  to  have 
everything  guarded.  Of  course  I  shan't  have  the 

310 


"SUMMER-BT-T  HE-SEA' 

luck  to  be  in  the  right  place,"  sighed  Peter,  "  but 
it's  pretty  exciting,  nevertheless." 

Nancy  had  finished  her  dishes  and  come  out  to 
join  Peter,  just  as  Miss  Aurelia  Pringle  appeared, 
mincing  down  the  path  and  peering  about  her  as 
if  in  search  of  some  small  and  elusive  object. 

"  Have  you  seen  Professor  Fenwick  ?  "  she  asked 
Nancy.  "  I'm  positively  assured  he's  here,  but  I 
can't  find  him." 

"  I'm  afraid  I  don't  know  him,  but  I'll  try  to 
find  him  for  you,"  said  Nancy  obligingly. 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear."  Miss  Aurelia  Pringle 
sighed  with  relief.  "  This  is  the  second  time  I've 
heard  the  dear  man  was  in  Halcyon.  He  was  a 
devoted  friend  of  my  late  brother.  Tall  and 
handsome,  my  dear,  with  beautiful,  long  hands. 
You  couldn't  fail  to  notice  his  hands — so  refined 
and  expressive." 

With  a  wink  at  Nancy,  Peter  joined  in  the  con- 
versation. "  Is  your  friend  a  professor  of  breaking 
and  entering  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  He's  a  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  best 
boys'  school  in  New  York,"  returned  Miss  Pringle 
acidly.  "  I  never  heard  of  that  new  science  you 
mention."  She  turned  to  Nancy.  "  I'll  wait  for 
you  here." 

"  Well," — Peter  defended  himself  against 
Nancy's  reproaches, — "  the  only  man  whose  hands 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

I've  noticed  to-day  belongs  supposedly  to  the  pro- 
fession of  breaking  and  entering." 

"  Supposedly ! "  chanted  Nancy  mockingly. 
"  I  wish  he  was  still  here, — Peter  Little !  I'd 
ask  him  if  he  was  Professor  Fenwick.  Probably 
that's  just  who  he  is.  And  then  up  would  go 
your  silly  theory  about  my  nice  Green  Knight." 

Peter  stared.  "  You  mean  to  say  you  still  think 
that  boy  and  his  mother  are  on  the  square  ?  " 

Nancy  nodded  vigorously.  "  I  haven't  seen 
any  good  reason  not  to  think  so.  He  did  me  a 
very  good  turn,  and  I  shan't  go  back  on  him  until 
I  have  proof  positive." 

"  Well,  Nancy  Lee,"  said  Peter  solemnly,  "  if 
ever  I'm  in  trouble  I  hope  my  friends  will  stick 
the  way  you  do." 


312 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAY 

THE  Inn  fair  was  only  two  days  after  "  Summer- 
by-the-Sea."  Some  people  thought  the  success  of 
the  latter  entertainment  would  hurt  the  fair,  but 
others  said  it  had  merely  whetted  Halcyon's  appe- 
tite for  gaiety.  The  fair  opened  in  the  afternoon, 
but  it  was  sure  to  be  best  patronized  in  the  even- 
ing, when  the  grounds  were  gay  with  Japanese 
lanterns,  colored  lights  burned  over  the  harbor, 
the  booths  were  auctioning  off  bargains,  and  the 
bands  played  all  the  time. 

The  cottage  people  were  all  going  in  the  even- 
ing. They  told  one  another  so  ostentatiously  in 
public  places.  They  repeated  the  statement  before 
their  servants,  particularly  before  their  newer  serv- 
ants. There  were  a  great  many  very  new  servants 
in  Halcyon  that  week,  and  they  were  all  men- 
servants  ;  they  had  come  to  mow  lawns  or  to  work 
in  the  stables  or  to  help  the  butler  or  the  chauffeur. 
They  came  down  from  town  on  various  trains,  and 
got  off  singly,  without  so  much  as  a  side-glance 
at  one  another.  But  one  thing  they  all  had  in 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

common ;  put  them  in  the  sunlight,  look  closely, 
and  you  could  catch  a  glint  of  bright  metal  under 
their  coats.  Halcyon  Point  was  to  be  very  well 
policed  for  the  Inn  fair. 

Dick,  Peter,  and  Johnny  Andrews  had  special 
policemen's  badges  too,  and  were  so  proud  of  the 
distinction  that  they  could  hardly  refrain  from 
flaunting  them  in  public.  Dick  and  Johnny  were 
to  stand  guard  at  their  own  places.  Mrs.  Little 
would  not  trust  Peter  with  theirs ;  she  preferred 
one  of  the  men  from  town.  But  Judge  Smith 
jumped  at  Peter's  offer  to  look  after  "Gray 
Gables."  Each  guard  had  a  whistle,  so  it  would 
be  easy  to  summon  reinforcements.  If  the  Hal- 
cyon burglar  made  an  attempt,  individual  or 
collective,  on  the  Point  cottages,  it  seemed  as  if  he 
ought  to  pay  high  for  it. 

Peter,  Dick,  and  Johnny  spent  the  early  even- 
ing at  the  fair,  going  and  returning  in  Johnny's 
boat,  because  they  thought  that  mode  of  departure 
would  be  most  inconspicuous.  It  was  difficult  for 
the  three  young  officials  to  realize  that  the  eyes  of 
all  Halcyon  were  not  on  them  that  night.  Peter 
was  the  only  one  who  had  to  walk  far  to  reach  his 
post.  He  skulked  along  in  the  shadows,  slunk 
up  to  the  house,  and  let  himself  in  by  a  little  side- 
door,  as  Judge  Smith  had  suggested.  He  had 
established  himself  in  the  dark  at  the  window 


THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAT 

that  commanded  the  widest  sweep  of  lawn,  before 
he  discovered  that  he  had  arrived  before  Judge 
Smith's  departure. 

"  I've  been  delayed,"  explained  that  gentleman. 
"  My  caution  of  a  grandchild  insists  on  going  with 
me.  Susan  could  give  her  a  better  time,  I'm  sure. 
And  she  further  insisted  that  she  wasn't  properly 
dressed  for  the  occasion — a  spot  of  mud  on  one 
stocking  and  a  tumbled  sash,  I  believe.  Well,  it 
doesn't  matter.  She's  learning  to  play,  and  I'm 
learning  with  her.  By  the  way,  we  had  our  ghost 
again  this  morning." 

"  We  did  !  "  Clare,  in  fresh  sash  and  stockings, 
hopped  into  the  room.  "  I  asked  the  boy  that 
digs  if  he  heard  it,  but  he  didn't.  He  was  here 
awf'lly  early.  He  said  he  wasn't  coming  again, 
and  I'm  glad  of  it,  because  I  don't  like  him.  He 
left  a  pile  of  dirty  old  stones  in  the  stable  and  I 
fell  into  it  and  had  to  be  dressed  all  over.  He 
wanted  to  see  you,  grandfather,  but  I  told  him 
you  weren't  here.  You  weren't  either,"  Clare  con- 
cluded, as  if  her  statement  had  been  called  in 
question,  and  then  added  an  explanatory,  "  But 
I  guess  I  did  say  you'd  be  back  to-morrow.  I 
didn't  want  that  boy  tagging  around  to-night." 

"  No,  we  can't  be  bothered  to-night,"  agreed 
Judge  Smith  jovially.  "  Good-bye,  Peter.  Now, 
Clare,  forget  that  you've  seen  Peter  here  to-night. 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Don't  mention  it  to  a  soul.     He'll  find  that  ghost 
for  you,  I  guess,  if  nobody  knows  he's  around." 

Peter  sat  for  a  while  in  his  chosen  window, 
made  two  tours  of  the  big  house  without  finding 
anything  amiss,  and  finally,  deciding  that  the  rose 
arbor  by  the  back  door  was  a  better  sentry-box  than 
the  one  he  had  first  chosen,  he  went  stealthily  out 
to  it.  He  had  not  been  there  five  minutes  before 
a  suspicious  rustling  in  the  long  grass  near  the 
garage  attracted  his  attention.  Straining  his  eyes 
Peter  watched  till  he  was  sure  somebody,  or  some- 
thing, was  there.  Then,  slinking  in  the  shadows 
and  darting  silently  across  an  open  space,  he  fell 
upon  a  wriggling  figure  and  grappled  with  it. 
To  his  amazement  it  offered  no  resistance,  merely 
rolling  from  under  him,  and  murmuring  amiably, 
"  That's  right,  old  man.  Two  can  do  this  job 
better  than  one."  Then,  as  Peter's  grip  tightened 
indignantly,  the  voice  added  softly,  "  Crickets, 
you're  choking  me  !  " 

"  I'm  arresting  you,"  corrected  Peter,  speaking 
by  some  instinct  in  his  adversary's  whisper,  "  for 
trespass  and  disorderly  conduct,  and "  Sud- 
denly Peter  remembered  with  chagrin  that  he  had 
no  evidence  of  a  more  serious  charge  against  his 
captive. 

"  Did  you  think  I  was  the  burglar?  "  whispered 
the  captive. 

316 


THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAT 

11  Never  mind  what  I  think,"  returned  Peter 
sternly. 

"  Well,  I'm  not.  I'm  Lawrence  Masters,  Junior, 
and  the  burglar  is  down  in  that  barberry  tangle, 
trying  the  kitchen  window." 

"  While  you  watch  up  here  and  delay  me," 
murmured  Peter.  "  I'm  a  police  officer."  He 
showed  his  badge. 

"  That's  good,"  breathed  Lawrence  Masters, 
Junior.  "  If  he  fights,  we  can  hit  him  hard  for 
resisting  arrest.  I  say,  Miss  Lee's  tall  friend  told 
me  that  people  here  think  we're  queer.  You  don't 
mean  you  think  I'm  in  with  this  burglar  ?  " 

"  What  are  you  doing  here,  if  you're  not  ?  " 

"  Looking  after  some  buried  treasure — unburied 
treasure,  I  mean,  that's  down  in  the  stable.  I  was 

coming  up  to  see  Judge  Smith,  when I  say, 

let's  get  the  burglar,  and  then  we  can  talk." 

Peter  hesitated.  Here  was  another  "  fishy " 
story,  another  compromising  position. 

"  On  my  honor  as  a  gentleman,  I  promise  to 
play  fair  and  to  help  you,"  whispered  the  queer 
boy. 

"  And  to  wait  afterward  until  your  case  is 
settled  ?  " 

"  Sure,  and  to  show  you  the  treasure^  and " 

Peter  thought  hard  for  one  long  moment.  There 
certainly  was  a  man  moving  stealthily  on  the  bar- 


NANCT    LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

berry  patch  near  the  kitchen  window.  The  Green 
Knight  gave  his  word  of  honor.  Nancy  Lee  be- 
lieved in  him. 

"  All  right,"  whispered  Peter.  "  You  keep  to 
the  right  side  of  him  as  we  close  in,  and  I'll  bear 
to  the  left." 

It  had  taken  only  a  minute,  that  colloquy  in  the 
tall  grass.  The  man  in  the  barberry  patch,  intent 
on  sounds  within  the  house,  had  heard  nothing. 
He  was  skilfully  cutting  a  pane  from  the  kitchen 
window.  Peter  was  better  at  wriggling  than  the 
Knight,  but  the  Knight  was  wonderful  at  running 
from  cover  to  cover.  He  reached  the  edge  of  the 
barberry  patch  first,  and  was  crouching  under  a 
very  prickly  bush  when  the  man  at  the  window 
turned  and  discovered  Peter,  not  yet  hidden. 
With  a  bound  he  dropped  from  the  window  ledge 
out  into  the  shrubbery  on  the  side  furthest  from 
Peter.  At  him  flashed  the  Knight,  regardless  of 
brambles.  Peter,  blowing  his  whistle  vigorously, 
ran  round  the  edge  of  the  shrubbery  to  make 
a  flank  attack.  Through  the  barberry  tangle 
floundered  the  man,  just  out  of  the  Knight's  reach. 
Out  he  dodged  into  a  lilac  thicket. 

"  Grab  him  I  "  cried  the  Knight,  flashing  his 
little  electric  search-light.  Peter  grabbed  and 
caught  something  soft  and  sleek  that  came  off  in 
his  hands — a  dark  silk  coat.  After  that  the  man's 


THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAT 

white  shirt  made  pursuit  easier.  The  Knight  got 
the  next  chance  to  attack  at  close  quarters,  and  he 
hung  on  bravely.  Peter  got  hold  and  hung  too. 

The  man  fought  silently,  desperately.  "  Hang 
it  all — do  you  want  me  to  shoot  ?  "  he  muttered  once. 
But  the  boys  hung  on,  sure  it  was  an  empty  threat. 
With  lights  flashing  in  the  road,  and  shouts  and 
running  footsteps  converging  from  every  direction, 
with  a  "  bug-light  "  in  the  Knight's  pocket,  and  a 
whistle  in  Peter's,  any  burglar  could  see  that  it 
was  useless  to  make  a  bad  matter  worse. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Ellis  !  "  cried  Peter  in  astonishment. 
"  Why,  Mr.  Ellis  !  "  Two  deputies  had  handcuffed 
the  burglar,  and  the  Knight  had  suddenly  switched 
his  light  full  on  the  man's  face. 

"  Right  you  are,  Little  Peter,"  returned  the 
burglar.  "  I'm  done  for.  You  boys  put  up  a 
good  fight." 

Peter's  eyes  dropped  to  Mr.  Ellis's  hands.  Yes, 
they  were  white  and  soft  and  slender.  It  made 
fastidious  Peter  a  little  sick  to  think  that  he  had 
caught  a  man  he  knew,  who  knew  him  well  enough 
to  call  him  by  his  intimate  nickname. 

He  turned  to  the  Green  Knight,  and  drew  him 
to  one  side.  "  You  certainly  played  fair,"  he  said. 
"  Let's  get  out  of  this.  Come  over  to  the  Lees' 
and  find  Dick  and  Johnny  and  do  some  talking." 

"  Sure,"    agreed    the   Knight.     "  I   passed   miy 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

exam  in  math  day  before  yesterday.  I  can  talk 
now,  all  anybody  will  stand  for.  But  first  I've 
got  to  find  Judge  Smith  and  give  him  the  treasure." 

"  What  treasure  ?  "  demanded  Peter. 

"  Why,  the  buried  treasure,"  explained  the 
Knight  impatiently.  "  I  found  it  this  morning. 
I  never  expected  to.  Crickets,  but  this  is  my 
busy  day !  " 

In  the  end  the  Knight  and  Peter  did  go  to  the 
Lees',  as  Peter  had  suggested,  and  there,  when 
Dick  and  Johnny,  sadly  envious,  Nancy  and 
Christina,  noisily  triumphant,  and  Jane  a  little 
shamefaced  over  her  treatment  of  the  other 
Trianglers,  had  gathered  in  a  sociable  circle  on 
the  piazza,  the  Green  Knight,  Lawrence  Masters, 
Junior,  told  his  story.  It  was  late  when  he  began, 
but  even  Mrs.  Lee  conceded  that  Halcyon  Point 
would  naturally  keep  late  hours  on  this  most  ex- 
citing night  in  its  history. 

"  Shucks  1  it's  nothing  to  tell,"  the  Green  Knight 
began  his  story.  "  It  was  like  this.  We  live  in 
France.  That  is,  we  have  stayed  there  almost 
ever  since  I  can  remember.  Paris  in  winter  and 
Dinard — that's  a  jolly  little  place  on  the  north 
coast — in  summer.  Last  fall  we  came  over  here, 
so  I  could  go  to  an  American  school.  At  least 
that  was  one  reason,  and  another  was  because  my 
mother  thought  her  English  was  getting  rusty. 

320 


THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAT 

You  see,  my  mother  is Shucks,  she's  told  me 

never  to  say  that !  Well,  anyhow  New  York  was 
great.  We'd  had  plenty  of  fun  in  France,  but 
New  York  was  home,  and  there  was  something  in- 
teresting to  do  every  minute.  We  did  all  the  jolly 
things  there  were,  but  this  spring  I  found  I'd 
flunked  my  math  and  got  low  marks  in  two  other 
subjects,  and  when  I  told  my  mother  she  said  she 
couldn't  scold  me,  because  she'd  fallen  down  on 
her  job,  too.  You  see,  my  mother — well,  she's 
told  me  never  to  say  it,  but  I  guess  to-night  is  an 
exception.  My  mother  is  a  writer.  I  guess  you 
all  know  her  books,  but  her  name  when  she  writes 
is  different.  She'd  been  working  on  a  novel  in 
New  York,  and  when  her  publishers  read  it  they 
told  her  it  wasn't  up  to  her  standard,  and  ought 
not  to  be  printed.  '  And  I  think  they  are  right,' 
my  mother  told  me  when  we  talked  things  over. 
'  Now,  shall  we  go  back  to  France  and  settle  down 
to  work  ? '  You  see,"  explained  the  Green 
Knight,  "  we  always  plan  things  together,  my 
mother  and  I,  because  we're  all  the  family  there 
is,  and  we  stick  tight  together. 

"  So  I  said, '  I  hate  to  leave  America.'  '  I  do, 
too/  said  my  mother.  '  Then  we  won't  let  America 
beat  us.  We'll  go  down  to  Halcyon,  where  your 
grandfather  and  all  my  grandfathers  lived.  We'll 
have  a  little  house,  with  only  old  Jules  and  old 

321 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

Virginie ' — those  are  our  servants  that  we  brought 
from  France — '  to  work  for  us.  I'll  revise  my 
book,  and  you'll  dig  at  your  math.  We'll  live  like 
hermits  until  we've  made  good.'  That  part  about 
hermits  made  me  laugh,  because  my  mother  is 
awfully  sociable,  and  so  am  I.  And  besides,  she 
is  known  everywhere,  and  strangers  are  always 
rushing  up  to  her  and  saying  they  recognize  her 
from  her  pictures.  So  I  said  that  if  we  were  going 
to  live  like  hermits,  she'd  better  get  a  dark  veil 
to  hide  herself  under,  and  we  went  right  out  and 
bought  it.  We've  had  more  fun  over  that  veil ! 
Well,  we've  dug  at  our  jobs  and  made  good.  Her 
publishers  like  the  novel  so  well  now  that  they've 
arranged  for  English  editions  and  translations  and 
all  that  sort  of  thing.  And  I've  passed  off  my 
math.  That's  all,"  ended  the  Green  Knight  se- 
renely. 

"  But  you  dug  in  the  ground  too,"  added  Dick 
Lee,  who  had  heard  from  Peter  about  the  "  dirty 
stones  "  in  the  stables  at  "  Gray  Gables." 

"  Oh,  that  was  my  mother's  plan  to  keep  me  out 
of  mischief,"  explained  the  boy.  "  You  can't  dig 
at  math  all  the  time,  you  know.  She  said  I'd  be 
sure  to  pick  up  a  lot  of  friends  between  times  and 
forget  the  hermit  business ;  and  then  she  remem- 
bered an  old  map  that  her  father's  father  had 
given  his  son — something  about  buried  treasure 

322 


THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAT 

down  here  at  Halcyon.  That  was  just  the  thing 
for  me  to  do  alone,  because  of  course  a  treasure- 
hunt  is  sort  of  a  secret.  Only  I  had  to  tell  Judge 
Smith.  And  this  morning  I  found  the  treasure 
— part  of  it,  anyhow." 

"  What  was  it?  "  gasped  Nancy  and  the  twins  in 
chorus. 

"  Oh,  '  one  silver  tankard,  two  silver  vessels  and 
one  gold,  a  chist  of  coin,  two  small  silver  platters 
and  much  pewter  ware/  "  chanted  the  boy  indiffer- 
ently. "  At  least,  that's  what  the  paper  said.  The 
vessels  are  all  so  black  that  you  can't  tell  gold, 
silver,  and  pewter  apart.  The  '  chist '  is  locked. 
It  was  all  I  could  do  to  lift  it,  so  if  the  coins 
are  gold  or  even  silver,  there  must  be  quite  a 
hoard." 

"  Weren't  you  fearfully  excited  ?  "  demanded 
Jane,  curious  about  the  Knight's  offhand  man- 
ner. 

"  Why — no/7  he  said,  "  I  was  embarrassed.  I 
was  excited  enough  for  a  minute,  when  my 
shovel  struck  something  hard,  but  after  that  I 
didn't  know  what  to  do  about  it.  I  was  going  to 
leave  the  stuff  right  where  it  was,  but  Judge 
Smith  was  away,  and  I  had  to  put  it  somewhere. 
I  piled  it  up  in  the  stable,  in  a  part  that  they 
don't  use.  I  thought  it  would  be  all  right  till 
morning,  but  when  I  told  my  mother  she  sent  me 

323 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

straight  down  to  speak  to  Judge  Smith  or  some 
other  responsible  person.  And  in  that  way  I  got 
mixed  up  with  the  burglar." 

"  For  the  last  but  not  the  first  time,"  added 
Johnny  Andrews  in  his  most  judicial  manner. 
"  Now  will  you  kindly  tell  us  the  name  of  your 
long-fingered  friend  ?  I  mean  the  fellow  who  was 
with  you  at  '  Summer-by-the-Sea.' ' 

"  And  who  came  to  the  Reef  for  you,"  added 
Jane  quickly. 

"Oh,  that  was  Professor  Fenwick.  I  flunked 
my  math  to  him  and  mother  got  him  down  so  I 
could  know  positively  that  I'd  made  good,  and  be 
able  to  enjoy  the  rest  of  my  summer.  The  first 
time  he  came  I  couldn't  satisfy  him  about  loga- 
rithms. What's  exciting  you  so  about  Professor 
Fenwick  ?  " 

Johnny  explained. 

11  Well,  I  am  relieved,"  sighed  the  Green  Knight. 
"  I  suppose  his  hands  are  rather  extra  long  and 
white  for  a  man's.  I'd  rather  you'd  think  Pro- 
fessor Fenwick  was  a  crook  than  to  think  any- 
thing off-color  about  my  mother  or  me." 

There  was  a  guilty  silence. 

"  Oh  !  "  sighed  the  Knight  again.  "  So  people 
did  think  we  were  crooks  before  that?" 

"  The  girls  didn't,"  from  Peter. 

"  Except  me,  after  that  morning  on  the  rocks," 

324 


THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAT 

confessed  honest  Jane.  "  Why  wouldn't  you  tell 
me  anything?  " 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  it  was  silly,"  admitted  the  Green 
Knight,  "  but  that's  the  way  we'd  planned  it,  my 
mother  and  I.  We  just  thought  that  if  we  began 
to  explain  about  the  hermit  business  we'd  waste  all 
our  time  explaining.  So  we  promised  ourselves 
not  to  get  into  any  conversations  until  we  were 
through.  Of  course  we  didn't  realize  how  people 
were  noticing  us." 

"  No,"  said  Jane,  "  of  course  a  deaf  foreign  maid,  a 
gardener  who  speaks  no  English,  a  green  veil,  a  treas- 
ure hunt,  and  a  hermit's  reserved  manner  wouldn't 
be  the  least  bit  conspicuous  in  any  summer  colony." 

The  boy  laughed.  "  It  does  sound  pretty — un- 
usual, the  way  you  tell  it."  He  turned  to  Nancy. 
"  I  believe  you're  to  blame,"  he  declared.  "  Your 
brother  and  his  chums  wouldn't  have  noticed  me 
much  if  you  hadn't  made  me  look  out  for  you  that 
day." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  Nancy  looked  the  picture  of  woe. 
"  I  never  dreamed  my  carelessness  would  get  any 
one  mistaken  for  burglar's  accomplices.  But 
there's  one  comfort ;  you  didn't  know  it  until  it 
was  all  over.  And  I've  told  the  boys  right  along 
that  they  were  perfect  sillies." 

"  That's  right,"  declared  Peter.  "  She  has.  I'll 
bet  I'd  have  hung  on  to  you  to-night  and  let  the 

325 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

right  man  get  away  if  I  hadn't  remembered  what 
Nancy  said." 

"  Well,  if  you've  heard  all  you  need  out  of  me 
for  a  while,"  said  the  Green  Knight  formally,  "  I'll 
go  up  and  'tend  to  my  treasure.  Can't  you  fellows 
come  along?" 

So  it  happened  that  Dick,  Johnny,  and  Peter 
were  down  at  the  stable  with  Judge  Smith  and  the 
Knight  when  the  "  Gray  Gables  "  ghost  shrieked 
and  was  caught  at  it. 

Judge  Smith  was  more  excited  about  the  finding 
of  the  treasure  than  any  of  the  boys.  He  insisted 
on  going  out  to  look  it  over  at  once,  and  he  even 
set  to  work  to  clean  up  the  tankards  and  vessels 
that  night ;  but  after  vigorous  use  of  the  garden 
hose,  the  juice  of  two  dozen  lemons,  most  of  a  bag 
of  salt,  and  all  the  available  supply  of  metal  polish, 
the  "  black  lumps  "  were  almost  as  black  as  ever. 
Judge  Smith  was  a  man  of  action. 

"  Here,  James,"  he  told  the  chauffeur,  who  had 
been  summoned  to  contribute  metal  polish,  "  have 
these  at  a  jeweler's  by  eight  to-morrow  morning. 
Get  a  receipt.  Tell  him  I  expect  them  to  be  pol- 
ished like  new  by  noon."  He  turned  to  the  Green 
Knight.  "You'll  let  me  do  that?  And  you'll 
leave  the  pile  here  on  exhibition  for  a  while?  I 
paid  a  lot  for  this  place,  but  between  ghosts  and 
buried  treasure  I'm  getting  my  money's  worth." 

326 


THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAT 

"  They're  not  mine,"  said  the  boy.  "  They're 
yours  ;  they  were  found  on  your  property." 

"  I  didn't  buy  any  underground  jewelry  stores," 
objected  Judge  Smith.  "  You  had  a  permit " 

"  It  was  just  a  map,"  said  the  boy.  "  It  didn't 
say  anything  about  the  ownership  of  the  treasure. 
I  never  expected  to  find  any,  you  see." 

"Just  where  did  you  find  it?"  inquired  Judge 
Smith. 

"  I'll  show  you."  The  Knight  picked  up  a  lan- 
tern, and  armed  with  that  and  his  trusty  "  bug- 
light  "  he  led  the  way  around  to  the  rear  of  the 
stable.  "  Right  here  close  to  the  foundation  wall.  I 
measured  from  the  oak  stump  half-way  up  the  hill. 
Old  Captain  Mixter  remembers  when  it  was  a  big 
tree.  That  was  one  of  the  things  mentioned  in  my 
map,  and  the  other  was  the  old  pond.  Captain 
Mixter  remembered  just  where  that  was,  too.  So 
I  had  all  the  landmarks  I  needed.  I'm  not  sure 
but  old  Captain  Mixter  has  the  best  right  to  the 
treasure,  Judge  Smith." 

"  Maybe  he  has.  I'll  tell  James  to  have  it  ap- 
praised. If  its  value  runs  into  the  thousands,  we 
ought  to  consider  the  matter  of  ownership  pretty 
carefully." 

"  Into  the  thousands  !  Crickets !  "  Leaning 
back  against  the  wall  of  the  barn,  the  Knight 
gave  vent  to  a  long,  low  whistle  of  incredulous 

327 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

amazement.  "  No  wonder  my  mother  thought  I 
shouldn't  leave  the  things  lying  about  here  over 
night.  Into  the  thousands  !  "  The  Knight  whis- 
tled again  shrilly. 

"  Judge  Smith  !  Oh,  Judge  Smith  !  "  It  was  a 
woman's  frightened  voice,  calling  from  the  drive 
in  front  of  the  stable. 

"  Now  what's  happened  ? "  demanded  Judge 
Smith  irascibly,  and  seizing  the  Knight's  lantern 
went  to  find  out. 

It  was  Susan,  in  a  state  of  agitation  extreme 
even  for  her. 

"  It's  the  ghost,  sir,"  she  gasped,  "  shriekin' 
something  fearful,  and  Miss  Clare  insisted  I 
should  come  to  tell  you,  as  no  one  else  was  about. 
We  heard  it  clear  down-stairs,  sir.  I'm  all  of  a 
shiver,  thinkin'  it  was  running  behind  me  in  the 
grass." 

"  Now,  boys  !  "  Judge  Smith's  summons  was 
answered  by  the  trio  of  ghost-hunters.  The 
Knight,  remembering  that  he  had  left  a  knife 
behind  him  that  morning,  stopped  an  instant  to 
look  for  it  with  his  search-light.  Standing  close 
to  the  barn-wall,  he  twisted  the  little  light 
hither  and  yon,  and,  straining  his  eyes  after 
his  lost  property,  whistled  softly,  as  was  his 
invariable  habit  when  he  was  thinking  or  work- 
ing intently. 

328 


THE  GREEN  KNIGHT'S  BIG  DAT 

A  shrill  cry  sounded  from  the  big  house. 
"  Susan,  you  hurry  up  quick  I  It  called  again, 
that  old  thing  1  " 

The  Knight,  who  had  stopped  whistling  to 
listen,  broke  out  again  in  an  amused  trill.  So  the 
ghost  that  Judge  Smith  had  spoken  of  was  abroad 
to-night.  It  was  certainly  a  big  day  I 

"  Susan,  you  hurry,  I  say !  It  called  another 
time,"  came  the  shrill  cry  again  from  the  big 
house. 

With  a  shrug  the  Knight  started  after  the 
others.  It  was  clearly  no  time  to  be  hunting  a 
mere  pocket-knife.  As  he  turned  from  the  wall, 
his  coat-sleeve  caught  on  some  projection.  It  was 
the  end  of  a  pipe,  apparently,  running  out  an  inch 
or  two  from  the  wall. 

"  Funny  !  "  muttered  the  boy,  with  his  light 
turned  on  and  his  lips  close  to  the  hole.  "  I  never 
noticed  that  before,  and  I  can't  see  the  use  of  it." 
Then,  with  an  annoyed  shrug  at  having  fallen 
again  into  his  hermit's  habit  of  talking  to  himself, 
he  hurried  to  join  the  others.  The  ghost  hunt 
was  systematic  but  aimless,  since  neither  Susan 
nor  Clare  could  give  any  idea  of  the  location  of 
the  voice.  Johnny  and  Dick  went  through  the 
cellars  of  "  Gray  Gables."  Peter  and  the  Knight 
poked  around  the  grounds  and  stables.  Judge 
Smith  went  to  reassure  his  granddaughter.  He 

329 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

came  back  to  the  boys  in  a  state  of  great  amuse- 
ment. 

"  The  creature's  learning  to  talk  English,"  he 
explained.  "The  last  thing  it  said,  according  to 
Susan,  was  '  Funny,  I  never  noticed  that  before.' 
Then  it  relapsed  into  its  habitual  mutterings." 

The  ghost-hunters,  who  had  rounded  up  to  hold 
a  consultation,  laughed  with  Judge  Smith  at  the 
ghost's  new  accomplishment — all  but  the  Green 
Knight. 

"  Why,  I  said  that !  "  he  cried  excitedly.  "  I 
said  that  very  sentence.  I  was  standing  by  the 
wall  back  near  the  treasure-hole.  I  caught  my 
sleeve  on  a  pipe,  and  I  stopped  to  look  at  it.  I've 
often  stood  against  that  wall  to  rest  and  think, 
but  I  never  noticed  the  pipe-hole." 

"  Well,  how  in  time  could  Susan  hear  you  ? " 
demanded  Judge  Smith.  "  Let's  go  and  look  at 
this  pipe." 

It  was  a  china  pipe-end.  It  had  evidently  been 
painted  when  the  barn  was  painted,  and  at  that 
time  or  some  other  one  side  had  been  badly 
chipped.  Judge  Smith  peered  at  it  carefully,  felt 
it,  and  then,  putting  his  lips  to  the  hole,  roared, 
"Hi,  Susan  1  Hi,  Clare!"  joyously.  Then  he 
turned  to  the  boys.  "  Come  to  the  house  and  find 
the  other  end  of  the  contraption,"  he  ordered. 
"  It's  not  a  pipe.  It's  a  speaking-tube.  The  man 

330 


THE  GREEN  KNIGHTS  BIG  DAT 

who  sold  me  '  Gray  Gables  '  was  a  great  horseman. 
This  wall  of  the  barn  was  a  partition-wall  in  his 
time,  with  more  rooms  behind  it.  His  coachman 
slept  here,  with  his  cot  against  that  wall.  I  re- 
member the  agent's  telling  me  that  I  could  talk 
to  the  stables  from  almost  any  room  in  the  house. 
But  I  put  in  telephones,  ordered  the  tubes  stopped 
up,  and  forgot  'em.  Evidently  one  at  least  was 
overlooked.  So  you're  the  '  Gray  Gables  '  ghost, 
young  man  I " 

"  I  suppose  I'm  part  of  it,  anyhow,"  sighed  the 
Green  Knight  ruefully.  "  I  never  expected  to  be 
mixed  up  in  anything  like  this.  It  all  comes  of 
my  everlasting  whistling." 

"  Don't  you  regret  it,  young  man,"  ordered 
Judge  Smith.  "  Don't  you  regret  it !  I've  en- 
joyed my  ghost.  You  fellows  all  come  to  dinner 
to-morrow  night.  We'll  inspect  the  treasure,  dis- 
cuss who  owns  it,  and  who  caught  the  ghost,  and 
I'll  pay  my  bills.  Don't  you  regret  whistling, 
young  man  !  It's  a  cheerful,  honest  habit  and 
it's  given  me  a  real  lark.  I  decided  to  grow 
young  down  here  this  summer,  and  I've  done  it, 
thanks  to  my  ghost." 

Meanwhile  down  at  the  Inn,  Hope's  lovely  eyes 
had  been  blindfolded,  and  she  had  identified  the 
"  Gray  Gables  "  burglar  by  his  hand  as  the  same 
one  she  had  encountered. 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

"  Yes,  I  know  that  hand,"  Hope  declared  un- 
hesitatingly. "  I  can't  be  mistaken.  Oh,  but  I'm 
sorry  ! " 

"  Don't  you  worry  for  a  minute,  kid,"  Mr.  Ellis 
told  her.  "  I'm  not  worth  it.  I  can  stand  what's 
coming  to  me,  all  right,  but  I  don't  want  to  spoil 
the  shine  in  your  eyes."  He  turned  to  the  detect- 
ives. "  Her  identification  is  a  farce,  of  course. 
I  can  furnish  a  complete  alibi."  With  that  Mr. 
Ellis,  gentleman-burglar,  vanished  from  the  life 
of  Halcyon  Bay,  and  shortly  afterward  began  a 
long  term  in  prison. 


332 


CHAPTER  XIX 

A   WONDERFUL    WORLD 

NANCY  LEE  sat  on  the  Birdcage  floor.  In  front 
of  her  were  two  big  wicker  baskets  and  beside 
them  two  huge  piles  of  what  appeared  to  be  very 
glittery  snowballs.  Only  close  inspection  revealed 
the  fact  that  cotton-batting  and  frost-powder  sup- 
plied the  place  of  real  snow.  Each  ball  con- 
tained a  toy,  those  in  one  pile  being  for  boys  and 
in  the  other  for  girls.  The  snowballs  were  to 
furnish  the  lighter  part  of  the  Rocky  Neck  chil- 
dren's Christmas,  and  Nancy  was  packing  them  in 
two  baskets  to  be  carefully  wrapped  and  consigned 
to  the  guardianship  of  Mrs.  Miggs,  who  had 
promised  to  attend  to  the  carrying  out  of  all 
details  of  the  Christmas  party. 

The  twins  had  gone.  Nancy  had  not  had  much 
time  to  miss  them,  because  of  the  Green  Knight's 
fondness  for  tennis.  In  half  an  hour  he  and  Dick 
would  be  back  from  bathing,  and  Dick  and 
Alexandra  had  challenged  the  Green  Knight  and 
Nancy  to  a  match.  Nancy  wanted  to  pack  her 
baskets  before  that,  because  then  she  could  get  the 

333 


NANCT   LEE'S   LOOKOUT 

boys  to  wrap  them  up.  If  there  was  one  thing 
Nancy  Lee  particularly  hated  doing  it  was  wrap- 
ping unwieldy  bundles.  Nancy  laid  the  snow- 
balls in  neat  layers,  patting  each  one  lovingly  into 
place.  There  were  such  cunning  toys  inside,  gulps 
of  joy  for  some  of  those  forlorn  Neck  children. 
How  lovely  Hope  had  looked  when  she  opened 
her  snowball  and  found  her  lost  money !  Of 
course  it  was  too  bad,  Nancy  reflected,  that  the 
burglar  had  hidden  his  booty  so  securely  that  Mrs. 
Augustus  Walker's  black  pearls  were  still  missing  ; 
but  it  would  have  spoiled  the  beautiful  climax  to 
the  "  Summer-by-the-Sea "  entertainment  if  the 
money  had  not  been  needed  for  Hope. 

"  A  man  for  to  see  you,  Miss  Nancy."  Rosa 
had  come  unperceived  down  the  Birdcage  path. 

"For  me?"  Nancy  jumped  up  hastily.  "A 
b°y>  you  mean,  Rosa?  " 

"  Oh,  no, — very  old,"  explained  Rosa,  and  Nancy 
followed  her  to  the  house. 

"  Good-morning  !  "  Judge  Smith,  evidently  in 
his  most  impatient  mood,  was  pacing  the  living- 
room  floor. 

"  Oh,  won't  you  come  out  and  see  the  snow- 
balls?" cried  Nancy  impulsively.  "  We  were  so 
sorry  you  couldn't  be  here  to  help  wind  them, 
and  to  see  Hope  get  hers.  It  was  splendid  !  " 

"  I  don't  doubt  it,"  agreed  Judge  Smith  drily. 

334 


A    WONDERFUL    WORLD 

"  That  little  girl  with  the  bright  eyes  interests  me. 
We'll  get  to  her  in  a  minute.  I've  come  on  busi- 
ness. To  begin  with,  the  buried  treasure  is  dis- 
posed of.  The  boy  wouldn't  have  it.  I  wouldn't 
have  it.  It  clearly,  then,  reverts  to  the  Miggs 
heirs,  whose  ancestors  put  it  there.  There's  only 
one  Miggs  heir — that  little  mite  of  a  woman  down 
on  the  Neck.  I've  had  the  stuff  valued  and  sold 
for  her — all  but  one  or  two  things  she  wants  to 
keep.  She  looks  upon  the  ten  thousand  dollars 
from  the  sale  as  a  vast  fortune." 

"  Of  course  she  would  I  "  cried  Nancy  joyously. 
"  She'll  have  the  loveliest  time  spending  it.  Oh, 
I'm  so  glad  !  " 

"  Um  I "  Judge  Smith's  tone  was  doubtful. 
"  She's  a  nice  little  woman,  but  too  much  of  a 
talker  for  me.  She  told  me  lots  of  things  I  didn't 
care  to  know — poured  'em  out  on  me  in  a  stream. 
But  all  the  same  we  got  quite  friendly — she's  a 
person  it's  difficult  to  snub  or  to  quarrel  with. 
As  she'd  told  me  some  things  she  meant  to  do  with 
her  money,  I  reciprocated.  Several  of  the  things 
I  meant  to  do  she  thoroughly  disapproved  of." 
Judge  Smith's  eyes  twinkled.  "  For  instance, 
when  I  spoke  of  educating  that  little  Timmy 
Raftery,  she  said  the  Fair  Oaks  girls  had  thought 
of  that.  She  asked  me  if  I  wasn't  young  enough 
and  smart  enough  to  think  out  something  for 

335 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

myself.  Well,  I  find  I  am  young  enough,  and 
smart  enough.  I'm  going  to  adopt  a  grandchild." 
"  You  mean  Timmy  ?  "  asked  Nancy  doubtfully. 
"  I  suppose  you  could  do  more  for  him  than  we 
girls » 

"  I  don't  mean  Timmy,"  roared  Judge  Smith. 
"  Timmy 's  not  my  discovery,  as  I've  just  told  you. 
I've  found  somebody  else  that  suits  me  just  as  well 
for  a  grandchild,  and  maybe  better  than  that 
young  rascal.  I'm  going  to  adopt  Hope  Haskins." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  Nancy  joyously. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  spoil  her,"  Judge  Smith  broke 
in  hastily  on  her  ecstasy.  "  The  reason  I  need  to 
adopt  a  grandchild  is  because  all  those  I've  got 
are  spoiled.  So  while  I'm  in  the  business  of  help- 
ing somebody  I've  decided  I  may  as  well  amuse 
myself  and  have  what  I've  always  wanted  :  a 
grandchild  I  can  be  tremendously,  unqualifiedly 
proud  of.  So,  if  you  approve,  I'm  going  to  choose 
Hope." 

"  If  I  approve !  "  laughed  Nancy. 

Judge  Smith  nodded  gravely.  "  Mrs.  Miggs 
said  you're  an  expert  on  doing  good  yourself,  and 
on  getting  other  people  interested  in  doing  it.  She 
says  that  if  I  knew  all  the  kind  things  you've  put 
through  this  summer,  I'd  be  astonished.  And  she 
says  that  one  of  your  principles  is  to  have  a  good 
time  yourself  as  you  go  along." 

336 


A    WONDERFUL    WORLD 

Nancy  agreed  eagerly.  "  That  was  Jane's  idea 
— to  make  a  game  of  it — the  Lookout  Game,  we 
called  it.  Most  of  the  ideas  were  other  people's, 
Judge  Smith,  and  other  people  did  most  of  the 
helping,  too.  So  you  mustn't  think  that  I'm  a — a 
person  to  consult." 

"  However  that  may  be,  I'm  consulting  you," 
said  Judge  Smith  irascibly.  "  Do  you  or  don't 
you  think  Hope  Haskins  needs  a  little  help  on 
this  college  job,  and  can  take  it  without  being 
spoiled  ?  " 

"  I  certainly  think'  she  does  and  can,"  declared 
Nancy.  "  I  don't  believe  Hope's  the  kind  to  be 
spoiled  by  anything." 

"  Well,  I  shall  be  very  careful  about  that," 
snapped  Judge  Smith.  "  No,  I  can't  stop  for  any 
snowballs.  I'm — I'm  not  as  cross  as  I  sound, 
Miss  Nancy  Lee.  You  young  people  have  given 
me  a  pretty  good  time  this  summer,  among  the 
whole  of  you."  And  off  he  went. 

With  shining  eyes  Nancy  returned  to  her  snow- 
balls. Recklessly  now  she  piled  them  in — silly 
little  snowballs,  of  no  account  at  all  compared 
with  the  splendid  chances  that  had  come  to  Hope 
and  to  Mrs.  Miggs. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Nancy  I  "  Fluttering  down  the  path, 
a  picture  of  joyous  eagerness,  came  Mrs.  Miggs. 
As  Nancy  jumped  up  to  meet  her,  the  little 

337 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

lady's  face  clouded  and  her  hands  flew  up  despair- 
ingly. 

"  You've  heard  !  "  she  sighed.  "  I  see  that  on 
your  face.  How  I've  rushed  to  get  here,  and  now 
somebody's  been  beforehand  with  me  !  Ain't  it 
lovely,  though?  And  ain't  it  wonderful — -just  as 
the  Owl  said.  I've  inherited  money  !  I've  been 
to  Doctor  Dale  to  tell  him  we  needn't  worry  and 
contrive  any  more  about  a  change  of  air  an'  a 
wheel  chair  for  my  baby.  There's  my  journey, 
you  see,  to  get  the  change  of  air." 

"  And  how  about  your  wedding,  Mrs.  Miggs  ?  " 
teased  Nancy. 

The  little  lady  bridled  and  blushed  and  fluttered. 
Then  she  grew  suddenly  serious.  "  I  don't  mind 
telling  you  something,  dearie.  Maybe  you'll  think 
I'm  forward,  but  at  my  age  and  his  there's  no  time 
to  dawdle.  You've  heard  tell  of  Captain  Mixter, 
Miss  Nancy.  He's  blind  and  pretty  helpless,  and 
he  ain't  made  none  too  welcome  by  his  son's  wife. 
Well,  if  he  wants  it  too,  Miss  Nancy,  there'll  be  a 
wedding.  He  did  want  it  once,  when  we  was  both 
young,  so  I  have  hopes  that  he  may  enjoy  the 
thoughts  of  comin'  to  live  with  me  in  a  snug  little 
house  on  the  Neck  where  there's  room  for  him  an' 
his  parrot  an'  his  sea-shells  that  his  daughter-in- 
law  thinks  is  old-fashioned.  I'll  keep  working 
long's  I  can,  an'  after  that  we'll  set  by  our  fire 

338 


A    WONDERFUL    WORLD 

together.  There  won't  be  no  naggin'  or  fault- 
finding  and  all  jokes  and  fun  welcomed.  Also  the 
things  he  likes  to  eat,"  ended  Mrs.  Miggs  quaintly. 
"  He's  my  oldest  friend,  so  why  shouldn't  he  share 
my  good  fortune  ?  " 

Nancy  put  splendid  zest  into  winning  the  ten- 
nis-match. It  was  a  wonderful  world !  She  was 
thinking  so  over  and  over,  as  she  slammed  the 
balls.  They  all  went  where  she  wanted  them  to. 
That  reminded  her  of  Cecilia — poor  Cecilia,  who 
would  be  sitting  alone,  on  the  Littles'  piazza. 
Dick  and  Peter  and  Johnny  plotted  nowadays  to 
leave  her  out  of  the  tennis  games.  They  called  it 
"  teaching  her  a  lesson."  Nancy  was  inclined  to 
approve  their  method,  but  to-day  she  was  tender- 
hearted. 

"  Ask  Cecilia  to  play  the  next  set  with  you," 
she  begged  the  Green  Knight.  "  I'm  tired — hon- 
estly I  am.  I'm  not  going  to  overwork  my  ankle. 
After  I'm  rested  I'll  make  us  all  lemonade." 

Nancy  really  was  a  little  tired,  but  what  she 
wanted  was  a  chance  to  talk  to  mother.  She  had 
told  the  tennis  players  about  Hope  and  Mrs. 
Miggs  and  they  had  said  "  Great,  isn't  it  ?  Shall 
we  toss  for  courts  now  ?  "  Mother  would  under- 
stand. 

She  did.  Nancy  found  her  up-stairs  on  her 
very  private  rest-piazza.  For  such  wonderful 

339 


NANCT   LEE'S    LOOKOUT 

news  as  she  had,  Nancy  felt  that  she  might  in- 
trude. Mother  was  just  as  interested  and  just  as 
pleased  as  Nancy  had  known  she  would  be.  She 
drew  her  tall  daughter  down  beside  her  in  her  big 
chair. 

"  I'm  glad  you've  made  so  many  friends  this 
summer,"  she  said,  "  friends  that  count.  I'm  glad 
you've  made  your  vacation  count,  in  spite  of  the 
ankle.  That's  the  kind  of  daughter  I  want." 

"  But  I've  made  you  a  lot  of  trouble.  I've  been 
much  more  trouble  than  help,  I'm  afraid,"  said 
Nancy  contritely. 

Mother  shook  her  head.  "  You've  helped  me  a 
great  deal.  Accidents  will  happen " 

"Even  when  you're  not  careless,"  cried  Nancy. 
"  But  I  was  !  " 

"  And  I'd  rather  have  you  find  too  many  worth- 
while interests  outside  your  home  than  too  few. 
Caring  for  nobody  but  one's  family  and  intimate 
friends,  thinking  only  of  them,  gives  one  a  very 
narrow  outlook.  I'd  far  rather  you  were  thought- 
less sometimes  than  selfish — wrapped  up  in  your 
own  little  world." 

"  Oh,  mother,  you're  so  encouraging  I  "  Nancy 
rushed  off  to  her  other  confidant,  the  faithful  Red 
Journal.  The  summer's  adventures  had  filled  a 
great  many  pages.  Yes,  only  two  were  left.  She 
would  ask  father  to  send  her  another — the  fattest 

340 


A    WONDERFUL    WORLD 

Red  Journal  he  could  find,  and  she  would  begin  a 
second  volume.  But  now 

"  I  want  to  know  things,  to  be  wise,"  wrote 
Nancy  at  the  top  of  the  first  empty  page.  "  Hope 
says  you  can't  do  without  wisdom,  and  I  think 
she's  right.  But  I  want  to  put  the  doing  of  things 
for  people  who  need  me  first  of  all,  as  Doctor  Dale 
does,  and  I  want  always  to  have  '  grit  and  good 
spirits,'  like  dear  Mrs.  Miggs.  And  I  must  re- 
member not  to  rush  ahead  too  fast,  as  Christina  is 
always  reminding  me " 

"  Lemonade  ahoy  I  "  called  the  Green  Knight's 
voice  under  her  window. 

Nancy  dropped  the  poor  old  Journal  with  a 
bang  and  flew  down-stairs.  "  Coming  !  "  she 
called  back.  "  Want  to  help  me  crack  the  ice  ?  " 


The  Stories  in  this  Series  are : 
NANCY  LEE 

NANCY  LEE'S  SPRING  TERM 
NANCY  LEE'S  LOOKOUT 


341 


MARGARET  WARDE 


THE  author  of  the  famous  "Betty  Wales"  books, 
no  doubt  the  most  popular  college  stories  for 
girls  ever  written,  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  and 
a  graduate  of  one  of  the  larger  girls'  colleges.  "I  was 
a  comical,  shy,  studious  little  girl,"  she  writes.  "  I 
hated  my  hair  because  it  was  straight,  and  I  never 
cared  much  for  dolls.  I  preferred  tramping  in  the 
woods  with  my  brother  and  his  friends.  I  began  to 
to  read  'Alice  in  Wonderland'  when  I  was  two,  and  I 
still  read  it  sometimes  out  of  the  same  nice  old  book. 
It's  pretty  worn  in  places,  and  my  copy  of  *  Little 
Women '  is  just  simply  read  to  pieces. 

"  I  still  like  the  same  things  I  always  did,  you  see; 
picnics,  with  sandwiches  in  a  box  and  coffee  boiled  over 
a  fire;  long  tramps  after  wild  flowers  or  berries;  long 
horse-back  rides, especiallyoutin  theRockies,whereyou 
can  go  cross-country  on  a  safe  Mexican  saddle  that  you 
can't  possibly  fall  off  (because  I  am  rather  afraid  of 
horses,  in  spite  of  being  so  fond  of  them):  and  in  winter 
snow-shoeing  through  the  deep  woods  in  a  snow-storm. 

"Among  all  the  other  things  that  I  do,  I  just 
happened,  'once  on  a  time',  to  write  a  book  for  girls, 
because  somebody  asked  me  to — and  I  have  kept  on 
because  I  love  girls,  and  the  realization  that  some  of 
them  enjoy  my  books  makes  me  very  happy. 

"  Betty  Wales,  Mary  Brooks,  Madeline  Ayres  and 
the  rest  are  types  of  the  American  College  girl." 

Miss  Warde's  books  for  girls  are: 

Betty  Wales,  Freshman 
Betty  Wales,  Sophomore 
Betty  Wales,  Junior 
Betty  Wales,  Senior 
Betty  Wales,  B.  A. 
Betty  Wales  &  Co. 
Betty  Wales  on  the  Campus 
Betty  Wales  Decides 
Nancy  Lee 

Nancy  Lee's  Spring  Term 
Nancy  Lee's  Lookout 


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